Estate Planning

Services

Keep the documents your attorney drafts, the accounts you actually hold, and the financial plan working from the same set of facts.

A sandstone cliff crowned with palms at Encinitas under a clear blue sky

An estate plan only works if the accounts agree with it.

Many families have a trust and a will and assume the work is done. Then an account is opened without naming the trust, a beneficiary form from a previous job still names a former spouse, or a property is refinanced and quietly retitled. The documents say one thing; the assets do another, and the assets win.

Palm Coast’s role is coordination. We do not draft legal documents. We help you identify what the estate plan needs to accomplish, check that beneficiary designations, account titles, and trust funding line up with it, and bring the right questions to your estate attorney so their time is spent on drafting rather than discovery.

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What the work covers

Where estate plans and financial plans meet

Beneficiary designations and titling

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and annuities pass by designation, not by will. We review every designation and title against the plan, including contingent beneficiaries and whether the trust should be named.

Trust funding and liquidity

A revocable living trust is common in California because probate is slow and costly, but an unfunded trust accomplishes little. We also look at whether the estate will have the cash it needs for taxes, debts, and equalizing gifts among heirs.

California property and Proposition 19

Since 2021, most inherited California real estate is reassessed to market value for property tax unless it becomes the heir’s primary residence within the rules. For families holding long-owned homes or rentals, this can change what an inheritance is worth to keep.

Incapacity and the people you name

Powers of attorney, health care directives, successor trustees, and guardians decide who acts when you cannot. We help you think through the choices and make sure the people named know where the documents are and what the plan expects of them.

How Palm Coast approaches it

Coordination, in three passes

Inventory what exists

Current documents, every account and its beneficiary form, property titles, business interests, and insurance are gathered into one view alongside what you want the plan to accomplish.

Find the gaps

We compare the documents to the assets and to your intentions, and list what disagrees: unfunded trusts, outdated designations, missing contingents, liquidity shortfalls, and properties that would be reassessed.

Bring the questions to counsel

You and your estate attorney receive an organized list of issues and decisions. After the documents are updated, we help implement the account-level changes and keep the two plans aligned as life changes.

See what to expect

Who estate planning coordination is for

This work suits families with real estate, retirement accounts, business interests, or blended-family considerations, and anyone whose documents were drafted years ago and have not been checked against today’s accounts. It is also where families begin when they have no plan yet and want to arrive at the attorney’s office prepared.

Palm Coast does not provide legal advice or prepare legal documents; those come from your estate attorney. Tax questions are coordinated with your CPA. Estate planning connects naturally to legacy planning, which addresses what the wealth is for, and to insurance planning where liquidity at death is a concern.

Frequently asked questions

Does Palm Coast draft wills or trusts?

No. Palm Coast coordinates the financial side of estate planning and works alongside your estate attorney, who drafts the documents. If you do not have an attorney, we can describe what to look for in one; we do not provide legal advice.

Do we need an estate plan if we will not owe federal estate tax?

Most households will not owe federal estate tax under current exemption levels, and California has no state estate or inheritance tax. Estate planning is still about avoiding probate, naming who acts if you become incapacitated, protecting heirs, and making sure assets go where you intend. Property tax reassessment under Proposition 19 is often a bigger dollar issue for California families than estate tax.

How often should beneficiary designations be reviewed?

After any marriage, divorce, birth, death, job change, or account rollover, and otherwise on a regular cycle. Beneficiary forms override the will, so a stale form can undo the plan entirely. Palm Coast includes designation review in ongoing planning.

What does Proposition 19 mean for a home we plan to leave to our children?

Under Proposition 19, a parent-to-child transfer of a home keeps its property tax basis only if a child makes it their primary residence within a year and the value increase is within the exclusion limit; otherwise it is reassessed. Rentals and second homes are generally reassessed. Families should review this with their estate attorney and, where relevant, their CPA, before assuming the children can afford to keep the property.

Insights

Authoritative sources

These official resources support the general educational context on this page. They are not endorsements of Palm Coast Wealth Management.

Bring the moving parts into one conversation.

Use the secure meeting form to tell Palm Coast what you are coordinating. Do not include account numbers or other sensitive financial information.

Schedule a Meeting Call (805) 429-4183