Absolute Trust Counsel

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Absolute Trust Counsel While some law firms offer general services meeting every conceivable legal need, Absolute Trust Counsel takes a different approach. Please consult an attorney.

California estate law is our specialty. It’s what we love and what we do best. Absolute Trust Counsel focuses on five closely intertwined areas of the law: estate planning, trust administration, probate, special needs planning and Medi-Cal planning. You need a legal team who takes the time to gain a thorough understanding of your unique situation and hones in on what exactly your goals, hopes and concerns are regarding your legacy. And, we pride ourselves on practicing that type of personalized law. Whether you have estate planning needs, probate needs, are looking for nursing home assistance or help with a special needs family member our firm will be there for you and your family today, tomorrow and for years to come. We are your law firm for life. The content of this page provides no legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For further details, see www.absolutetrustcounsel.com.

10/10/2026

Kirsten Howe and Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, open with the reason many childfree clients finally make an estate planning appointment: the pets. Clients with children tend to assume a son or daughter will take the animals. Childfree clients have no built-in pet sitter, so the plan has to be written down. Scott explains why the common approach — a line in the will leaving the pet to a friend along with $10,000 for its care — doesn't do what people think. Once that money transfers, it belongs to that person outright. They can keep it and surrender the animal to a shelter, and nothing in the will prevents it. Kirsten's point: your intention was obviously the opposite, but intention isn't enforcement. Scott's answer is a pet trust, because a trust is about control, and control is what makes the outcome a guarantee instead of a hope. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-part-2-pet-trusts-poas-and-who-decides-when-you-cant/

[Ad] Need help navigating these upcoming changes? We're here to assist. Schedule a free discovery call now, and let’s discuss your estate planning goals. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

10/09/2026

Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, describes a pattern he sees constantly: clients who saved carefully their whole lives and can't bring themselves to spend any of it. They're convinced they'll run out, even when, as Scott puts it, they could spend more than you could imagine and never get close. He traces it back a generation — parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and passed the scarcity mindset down without meaning to. Kirsten sees the same thing in her practice, most often with single women: she knows the balance sheet, she knows they'll never run out, and they're terrified anyway. For the people Scott calls soloists, the practical answer is coverage that lets them stop worrying and actually hire help when they need it. Both agree on the timing, too. You can still get a policy into your 70s if you're in excellent health, but it's much harder, and the cost climbs steeply. Scott's recommendation is to buy in your 40s and 50s. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-whos-your-long-term-care-plan-if-you-dont-have-kids/

[Ad] Need assistance with estate planning? Let us help you understand your options and protect your assets. >> https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

10/02/2026

Kirsten Howe names something most families never say out loud: a lot of people quietly treat their children as their long-term care plan. Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, agrees it's a common attitude — and points out it isn't a given even when you do have children. For childfree adults, the question comes up constantly. Scott calls it the childfree bingo card, and the most common card on it is who's going to take care of you when you get older. That changes the insurance math: disability and long-term care coverage become the two most important policies, while life insurance mainly earns its place during working years to replace lost income. And as Scott explains, the gap isn't only hands-on help. It's coordination — getting someone to their doctor's appointments and managing everything else an aging person needs, which is exactly the work adult children absorb without anyone ever budgeting for it. You can pay for caregivers, but somebody still has to hire them and run the schedule. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-whos-your-long-term-care-plan-if-you-dont-have-kids/

[Ad] Need assistance with estate planning? Let us help you understand your options and protect your assets. >> https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

10/01/2026

What if staying home as you age cost a fraction of what a nursing facility does? In California, a shared room in a skilled nursing facility averages about $130,000 a year. Choice in Aging's Medi-Cal waiver program works with about $6,000 per person per year to help people remain in their own homes, with the care, connection, and dignity they want.

This week, Kirsten Howe sits down with Debbie Toth, President and CEO of Choice in Aging, a 77-year-old Bay Area nonprofit that helps older adults and people with disabilities live and age in community. Debbie explains how the Multipurpose Senior Services Program pays for support that traditional Medi-Cal won't, such as transportation, emergency response buttons, and home modifications. She also describes how California Community Transitions helps people move out of skilled nursing and back into the community, and why Choice in Aging is building a $32 million Aging in Place campus with housing and services right outside residents' front doors.

If you're planning for your own future or caring for an aging parent, this conversation shows what's possible with the right support.

10/01/2026

Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, and Kirsten Howe get into what naming a fiduciary actually asks of a person. Most people named as an agent don't understand the role, and when the agent is also a beneficiary, their interests and yours can pull in different directions — with no practical enforcement unless someone files a complaint. That's the case Scott makes for a professional, objective fiduciary who follows explicit written directions. Then Kirsten names the structural problem almost nobody accounts for: the sibling or close friend you'd name is your contemporary. They'll be roughly your age when you're 85 in a hospital bed, which is exactly when you need them most. Her half-joking fix — make a few young friends — lands on something real. Naming someone isn't the same as having someone able and willing to step up and do the work. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-part-2-pet-trusts-poas-and-who-decides-when-you-cant/

[Ad] Need help navigating these upcoming changes? We're here to assist. Schedule a free discovery call now, and let’s discuss your estate planning goals. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

09/30/2026

Kirsten Howe and Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, open with the reason many childfree clients finally make an estate planning appointment: the pets. Clients with children tend to assume a son or daughter will take the animals. Childfree clients have no built-in pet sitter, so the plan has to be written down. Scott explains why the common approach — a line in the will leaving the pet to a friend along with $10,000 for its care — doesn't do what people think. Once that money transfers, it belongs to that person outright. They can keep it and surrender the animal to a shelter, and nothing in the will prevents it. Kirsten's point: your intention was obviously the opposite, but intention isn't enforcement. Scott's answer is a pet trust, because a trust is about control, and control is what makes the outcome a guarantee instead of a hope. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-part-2-pet-trusts-poas-and-who-decides-when-you-cant/

[Ad] Need help navigating these upcoming changes? We're here to assist. Schedule a free discovery call now, and let’s discuss your estate planning goals. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

09/23/2026

Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, describes a pattern he sees constantly: clients who saved carefully their whole lives and can't bring themselves to spend any of it. They're convinced they'll run out, even when, as Scott puts it, they could spend more than you could imagine and never get close. He traces it back a generation — parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and passed the scarcity mindset down without meaning to. Kirsten sees the same thing in her practice, most often with single women: she knows the balance sheet, she knows they'll never run out, and they're terrified anyway. For the people Scott calls soloists, the practical answer is coverage that lets them stop worrying and actually hire help when they need it. Both agree on the timing, too. You can still get a policy into your 70s if you're in excellent health, but it's much harder, and the cost climbs steeply. Scott's recommendation is to buy in your 40s and 50s. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-whos-your-long-term-care-plan-if-you-dont-have-kids/

[Ad] Need assistance with estate planning? Let us help you understand your options and protect your assets. >> https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

09/22/2026

Kirsten Howe names something most families never say out loud: a lot of people quietly treat their children as their long-term care plan. Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC of Childfree Wealth, agrees it's a common attitude — and points out it isn't a given even when you do have children. For childfree adults, the question comes up constantly. Scott calls it the childfree bingo card, and the most common card on it is who's going to take care of you when you get older. That changes the insurance math: disability and long-term care coverage become the two most important policies, while life insurance mainly earns its place during working years to replace lost income. And as Scott explains, the gap isn't only hands-on help. It's coordination — getting someone to their doctor's appointments and managing everything else an aging person needs, which is exactly the work adult children absorb without anyone ever budgeting for it. You can pay for caregivers, but somebody still has to hire them and run the schedule. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/childfree-wealth-whos-your-long-term-care-plan-if-you-dont-have-kids/

[Ad] Need assistance with estate planning? Let us help you understand your options and protect your assets. >> https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/

09/17/2026

Most estate planning conversations start with who gets what. For childfree adults, the harder question comes first: who makes decisions for you when you can't make them yourself?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Kirsten Howe welcomes back Scott Barnes, CFP, CLTC, Director of Financial Planning at Childfree Wealth, to talk through what childfree estate planning looks like without a built-in next generation to lean on. Wills and trusts matter — but as Scott explains, the medical and financial powers of attorney are the documents most likely to shape a childfree adult's actual life.

Whether you're childfree, planning for an aging parent, or simply wondering if your own documents go far enough, this conversation offers a practical look at what thorough planning really involves.

In the first days after a death, the ordinary rhythm of life continues, yet your family is changed. Bills, mail, and cal...
09/11/2026

In the first days after a death, the ordinary rhythm of life continues, yet your family is changed. Bills, mail, and calendars arrive while the hardest questions begin to form: where are the estate planning documents, who should act as executor or successor trustee, and how will assets pass in California? This guide outlines practical steps for the first thirty days, from ordering certified death certificates and securing the home to identifying the path between trust administration and probate—often the decision that shapes timing, cost, and complexity. If you are supporting a loved one in the East Bay, Absolute Trust Counsel helps families navigate these moments with clarity and early guidance. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/what-to-do-in-the-first-thirty-days-after-someone-dies-in-california-a-practical-guide-for-families/

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2890 N. Main Street
Walnut Creek, CA
94597

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+19259432740

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