--- title: "Notes on California Estate Planning: June 2026" description: A $3 million estate, a bad marriage, and the trust amendment that kept Lisa's inheritance out of her ex-husband's hands. Plus this month's quick hits. image: https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/clarks_notes_header%20(3).png --- [Skip to main content](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/notes-on-california-estate-planning-june-2026#main-content) [ (800) 394-1988 ](tel:8003941988) California Estate Planning since 1996 [![clarkallison_logo_dark_v1_for_light_bg](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/clarkallison_logo_dark_v1_for_light_bg.png) ](https://www.clarkallison.com) - [About](https://www.clarkallison.com/aboutus) - [Estate Planning](https://www.clarkallison.com/california-estate-planning) - [Virtual Estate Planning](https://www.clarkallison.com/virtualestateplanning) - [Trust Administration](https://www.clarkallison.com/trust-administration) - [Advisors](https://www.clarkallison.com/advisors) - [Pricing](https://www.clarkallison.com/estateplanningcost) - [Blog](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog) [CONTACT US](https://share.hsforms.com/2fN-sZtACSSKCEEejwrQscw3bokj) - [About](https://www.clarkallison.com/aboutus) - [Estate Planning](https://www.clarkallison.com/california-estate-planning) - [Virtual Estate Planning](https://www.clarkallison.com/virtualestateplanning) - [Trust Administration](https://www.clarkallison.com/trust-administration) - [Advisors](https://www.clarkallison.com/advisors) - [Pricing](https://www.clarkallison.com/estateplanningcost) - [Blog](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog) - [CONTACT US](https://share.hsforms.com/2fN-sZtACSSKCEEejwrQscw3bokj) [Clark's estate planning notes](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/tag/clarks-estate-planning-notes) # Notes on California Estate Planning: June 2026 A $3 million estate, a bad marriage, and the trust amendment that kept Lisa's inheritance out of her ex-husband's hands. Plus this month's quick hits. [Clark Allison ](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/author/clark-allison) June 19, 2026 ![Notes on California Estate Planning: June 2026](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/clarks_notes_header%20(3).png) ## Table of Contents A real life estate planning story and quick hits about estate planning a related matters. ## Real Life Lisa’s dad had a $3 million estate. He was a widower with two 40-something children, Lisa and her brother. He had a living trust that left everything to them. He asked me if we could amend his trust so Lisa's share could be protected from her husband. Lisa had shared some disturbing things about her husband, which led him to believe the marriage would not last. And he did not want Lisa's husband to ever get control of her inheritance. We amended his trust to include an asset protection trust for Lisa. In the old version, Lisa would have received her inheritance outright: a check written to her. In all likelihood, she would deposit the check into her joint account, and her husband would get half. An inheritance is separate property in California, but only if you keep it separate. If you deposit an inheritance check into a joint account, you commingle it into community property. But under the amended trust, when Lisa's dad died, her inheritance check was deposited into a trust she controlled. When the divorce happened a few years later, Lisa’s husband was mad that he had no right to her inheritance, but Lisa was happy and thankful that her dad had protected her. [For more on how to protect your children's inheritance.](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/protecting-your-childrens-inheritance-from-divorce-and-lawsuits) ## **Quick Hits** There are no bonus points for showing your estate planning attorney your 20-page estate planning conversation with ChatGPT. Common sense, clear thinking, and experience will rise to the top in the AI world. Rule #1 of estate planning: You have to do it before you die. Once a year, someone asks me if they should wait until they are older to do their estate planning. Great idea I tell them, let me know when you plan to die so we can schedule our initial estate planning meeting. See Rule #1 above. Think carefully about who you name as your successor trustee. Choose someone who can do the job: someone who is responsible, gets things done, and is a good communicator. The more time you spend with your kids, the simpler your estate plan can be. If you all get along and your kids like and trust each other, there is a high probability that the trust administration will go smoothly. California has its problems. But weather is not one of them. Enjoy your summer.   [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/clarkallison.com)   **Ready to Get Your Estate Plan Done? ** Our California estate planning attorneys can help you sort out what you need to protect your family with a free 15-minute intro call. Call us at (800) 394-1988 or click [Get Started.](https://3bokj.share.hsforms.com/2fN-sZtACSSKCEEejwrQscw) We serve Sacramento-area families in person at our El Dorado Hills and Roseville offices and virtually via[ Zoom](https://www.clarkallison.com/virtualestateplanning) from anywhere in California. ### Share this article Written by ### [Clark Allison](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/author/clark-allison) ## More to Read [![The First 30 Days as a California Successor Trustee](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/benoit-deschasaux-qigoBVqObSI-unsplash.jpg) ](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/the-first-30-days-as-a-california-successor-trustee) trust administration ### [The First 30 Days as a California Successor Trustee](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/the-first-30-days-as-a-california-successor-trustee) July 26, 2026 [![What is a Successor Trustee in California? Duties, Authority, and First Steps](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/microsoft-copilot-rIPVJ6dMOPI-unsplash.jpg) ](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/what-is-a-successor-trustee-in-california) trust administration ### [What is a Successor Trustee in California? Duties, Authority, and First Steps](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/what-is-a-successor-trustee-in-california) July 25, 2026 [![Selling an Inherited California Home: How Capital Gains Tax Really Works](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/bc24e3db-e22d-4074-83d3-57208a9c8a76.jpg) ](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/capital-gains-tax-inherited-house-california) estate planning ### [Selling an Inherited California Home: How Capital Gains Tax Really Works](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/capital-gains-tax-inherited-house-california) July 18, 2026 ![clarkallison_logo_dark_v1_for_light_bg](https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/clarkallison_logo_dark_v1_for_light_bg.png) 4944 Windplay Drive El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 (800) 394-1988 ##### Practice - [ Estate Planning ](https://www.clarkallison.com/california-estate-planning) - [ Trust Administration ](https://www.clarkallison.com/trust-administration) - [ Virtual Estate Planning ](https://www.clarkallison.com/virtualestateplanning) - [ Pricing ](https://www.clarkallison.com/estateplanningcost) - [ Advisors ](https://www.clarkallison.com/vc-advisors) ##### The Firm - [ About ](https://www.clarkallison.com/aboutus) - [ Blog/Articles ](https://www.clarkallison.com/blog) - [ Contact ](https://3bokj.share.hsforms.com/2fN-sZtACSSKCEEejwrQscw) ##### Offices - [ El Dorado Hills ](https://www.clarkallison.com/el-dorado-hills) - [ Roseville ](https://www.clarkallison.com/roseville) - [ San Luis Obispo ](https://www.clarkallison.com/san-luis-obispo) - [ San Diego ](https://www.clarkallison.com/san-diego) © 2026 Clark Allison LLP. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Clark Allison", "url" : "https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/author/clark-allison" }, "dateModified" : "2026-06-30T19:43:41.324Z", "datePublished" : "2026-06-19T14:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Notes on California Estate Planning: June 2026", "image" : [ "https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/clarks_notes_header%20(3).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.clarkallison.com/blog/notes-on-california-estate-planning-june-2026", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.clarkallison.com/hubfs/Clark%20Allison%20LLP%20(11)-2.png" }, "name" : "Clark Allison LLP" } } ```