Absolute Trust Counsel

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.

06/06/2026

Most parents think a signed promissory note is the finish line. It's not. In this clip, Kirsten explains the second pitfall her firm sees in trust administration: a properly documented loan from years ago, with no record of what's been repaid. Without a simple payment log — a spreadsheet on the lender's side, canceled checks or equivalent on the borrower's side — the trustee handling the estate may have no choice but to treat the loan as unpaid and adjust the inheritance accordingly. Kirsten's bottom line: when family money is moving, treat it like business and document it like a business would. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/estate-planning-misses-how-to-document-a-loan-or-gift-to-your-child/

[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/

I meant to do this years ago." We hear it from almost every family we work with.Estate planning is the kind of thing tha...
06/05/2026

I meant to do this years ago." We hear it from almost every family we work with.

Estate planning is the kind of thing that stays on the to-do list for years — not because people don't care, but because thinking about the future feels uncomfortable and the legal process feels unfamiliar.

Here's what most people don't realize: it's more straightforward than you'd expect. At Absolute Trust Counsel, the process starts with one meeting. By the time you leave, you'll know what we're going to do, how long it will take, and exactly what it will cost. No surprises. No pressure. Just a clear plan for the people you love.

2026 brought some genuinely meaningful changes to California estate planning — around Medi-Cal eligibility, probate thresholds, and Proposition 19. Our newest article walks through what changed and what a thoughtful plan looks like in practice today.

If you've been meaning to put a plan in place — or update one that hasn't been reviewed in years — it's worth a read.

Read the article: https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/2026-california-estate-planning-updates-walnut-creek-attorney/.

06/04/2026

Most people start estate planning for two reasons: to avoid probate, and to make life easier for the people they love. But in this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe points to a "miss" that no trust document can solve — the literal, physical mess we all tend to leave behind.

Drawing on years of working with family trustees, Kirsten explains what really happens when one child is left to empty a home full of decades of belongings: stalled home sales, frustrated siblings, inheritances delayed by months, and the impossible position of being told to clean it all out but not to spend money on help. She also shares the cautionary tale of a daughter who nearly tossed a box of "trash" — until she found $2,500 cash tucked inside.

The kindest thing you can do for your family may be to start sorting through your own stuff now, one closet and one room at a time. Tune in for a practical, gently honest case for why decluttering belongs on your estate planning to-do list.

The headlines this year are about a new $15 million federal estate tax exemption. For most Bay Area families, that's not...
06/04/2026

The headlines this year are about a new $15 million federal estate tax exemption. For most Bay Area families, that's not the change that matters.

Here's what actually matters for 2026:
Medi-Cal asset limits returned January 1 — $130,000 for a single person, $195,000 for a couple, with a 30-month lookback. If you're thinking about long-term care for a parent, a spouse, or yourself, the time to plan is well before you think you need it.
The new probate shortcut for homes under $750,000 sounds helpful — but it doesn't help most East Bay homeowners, because our homes are worth more than that.

And Proposition 19 continues to be the largest tax exposure most local families have. Doing nothing remains the most expensive mistake.

In our newest article, Kirsten walks through what changed in 2026, what it means for your family, and what a thoughtful estate plan actually looks like in practice. Estate planning isn't about documents in a drawer — it's about taking care of the people you love.

Read the article: https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/2026-california-estate-planning-updates-walnut-creek-attorney/.

05/29/2026

In this clip, Kirsten shares a real family story from her practice. Parents had quietly written several checks over a few years to help one daughter through a rough financial patch. After both parents passed, her siblings dug up the canceled checks and argued they were loans that needed to be repaid to the estate — which would shrink her inheritance. Without a promissory note, and without anything in writing calling them gifts, the siblings ended up in a long, expensive dispute the family never saw coming. Kirsten explains why you can't predict how loved ones will behave after you're gone — and why undocumented family money so often ends up in conflict. https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/estate-planning-misses-how-to-document-a-loan-or-gift-to-your-child/

[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/

Hearing the word "probate" after losing someone you love can feel like one more weight on an already heavy day.Yes, it c...
05/06/2026

Hearing the word "probate" after losing someone you love can feel like one more weight on an already heavy day.

Yes, it can be slow. Yes, it can be expensive. And yes — much of that reputation is deserved.

But here's what most Walnut Creek families don't realize: California's rules changed in 2025, and 2026 looks different than it did even two years ago. Some estates that used to require full probate no longer do.

We broke down what's actually changed, what still trips families up, and where the real costs hide 👉 https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/probate-in-contra-costa-county-what-walnut-creek-families-need-to-know-in-2026/

A $1 million home with a $600,000 mortgage still pays probate fees on the full $1 million.That's the kind of detail that...
05/01/2026

A $1 million home with a $600,000 mortgage still pays probate fees on the full $1 million.

That's the kind of detail that catches Contra Costa County families completely off guard — usually at the worst possible moment.

In our latest post, we walk through what probate really looks like in Martinez in 2026: the new small estate thresholds under AB 2016, the timeline you should actually plan for, and the one step that keeps most families out of probate court entirely.

Read it here 👉 https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/probate-in-contra-costa-county-what-walnut-creek-families-need-to-know-in-2026/

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2890 N. Main Street
Walnut Creek, CA
94597

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

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+19259432740

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