Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Practice Areas
West Hills homeowners who already have a trust, or are about to sign one, can work with Certified Specialist Alice A. Salvo to make sure it actually covers everything. Her office is a short drive away in Woodland Hills. Call 818-676-9572.
Many families sign a living trust, put the binder on a shelf, and assume probate is handled. The trust only works for property titled in its name. A bank account opened later, a brokerage account never retitled, or a home refinanced out of the trust can all end up in probate anyway. Moving property into the trust is called funding, and it’s the step people most often skip. Our guide to setting up a trust walks through it.
A pour-over will acts as the safety net. It sends anything left outside the trust into it at death. The catch is that property passing under a will may still need probate first. Small leftovers are easier: for deaths on or after April 1, 2025, personal property worth $208,850 or less can usually be collected with an affidavit (Judicial Council of California). Anything bigger means a court case your trust was meant to prevent.
A 401(k), IRA, or life insurance policy doesn’t follow your trust or your will. It goes to whoever is named on the beneficiary form. Forms filled out at a first job, before a marriage, a divorce, or the birth of a child are a common source of trouble. Review them every time your family changes.
Taxes matter here too. Most children and other non-spouse beneficiaries who inherit an IRA from someone who died after 2019 must empty the account by the end of the tenth year after the death (IRS, Retirement Topics: Beneficiary). For a large account, the timing of those withdrawals can change the tax bill. Naming a trust as beneficiary can add control, but it has to be drafted for that purpose.
An estate plan written when the kids were small rarely fits once they’re adults. Parents of minor children still need a named guardian. A grown child who receives SSI or Medi-Cal could lose those benefits by inheriting directly, which is what a special needs trust prevents. And anyone thinking about a parent’s long-term care should read about Medi-Cal planning before assets are moved.
A complete estate plan also covers illness, not only death. A power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive let someone you trust pay bills and talk to doctors if you can’t. Not ready for a trust? Start with our guide to writing a will.
If the trust was funded, the successor trustee handles trust administration without going to court. Our Tarzana page explains the trustee’s deadlines step by step.
Alice Salvo is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating that peer review service gives. Appointments are available in person, by phone, or over video, and the firm works with families in Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Calabasas, and Woodland Hills.
No. A 401(k) or IRA passes to the person named on its beneficiary form, whatever the trust or will says.
Check that your home deed and each bank and investment account list the trust as owner. Anything still in your own name is outside the trust.
A pour-over will moves it into the trust, but it may need probate first unless its value falls under California’s small estate limits.
If your trust is more than a few years old, or you’re not sure what’s in it, call 818-676-9572 or send the firm a message to schedule a review.
Last updated November 11, 2026. Meet Alice A. Salvo, State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.