Will Planning for Tiburon Residents

Start with the decisions you want to make

Write down what you want the will to address. Consider which people or organizations you want to receive property, whom you would like to nominate as executor, and any family circumstances that may affect how you express those wishes. A will can state wishes and nominate an executor; in a formal probate case, the court appoints the personal representative.

Treat this list as a starting point for discussion, not a final legal document. If a decision feels unsettled, note the question and the options you are weighing rather than assuming you must resolve it before a consultation.

• List the people and organizations you want to consider, using names and relationships that are easy to distinguish.
• Note whom you are considering for executor and what questions you have about that choice.
• Record relevant family circumstances in neutral terms so you can explain why they matter to your planning.

Build an ownership and transfer inventory

A will should be considered alongside how property is titled and any other arrangements that may affect transfer. A will alone does not ensure that an estate avoids probate; ownership and transfer options matter.

For a remote consultation, prepare a practical inventory rather than trying to decide in advance which document controls each asset. For each item, note what it is, how it is titled if you know, and whether you believe a trust or beneficiary arrangement is connected to it. Bring the relevant records if available, or note where you can find them.

• Include real estate, accounts, business interests and other property you want to discuss.
• For each item, note the owner or owners shown in your records and any transfer arrangement you know about.
• Mark details you are unsure of; uncertainty is useful to identify, not a reason to guess.

Coordinate the will with your broader plan

Bring information about existing trusts, beneficiary arrangements and property titles to the conversation. The purpose is to compare your intended instructions with the ways property is currently held or may be transferred. Since ownership and transfer options affect whether an estate may need probate, considering the will in isolation can leave important questions unanswered.

Ask which assets your proposed will instructions are intended to address and what other arrangements should be considered alongside them. Do not assume that every asset will pass under the will or that having a will alone keeps an estate out of probate.

Prepare for a focused remote consultation

Before meeting virtually, gather your inventory, available ownership or account records, and copies of any existing will, trust or beneficiary information you want to discuss. A short written summary can help keep the conversation focused: what you want to accomplish, what has changed in your family or property situation, and which decisions remain open.

Use the consultation to identify questions about your instructions, executor nomination and coordination with existing arrangements. The practical next step is to organize those questions and records so the discussion can address your circumstances rather than rely on memory.