Estate planning isn’t just for the ultra-wealthy looking for ways to transfer wealth. And it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether you’re building savings, figuring out estate taxes on a taxable estate, supporting a family, or managing complex assets, the right plan is often one that is customized to your exact specifications.
Best Coast Estate Law helps clients build smart estate planning strategies that answer questions like, “Do I need to be rich to have an estate plan?” The firm offers estate planning services in Burbank for a range of families, and scale as wealth and responsibilities grow.
Brittany Britton, the Founder and principal trust and estate attorney at our firm, offers estate planning strategies for every stage of wealth, from affordable estate planning for the middle class to sophisticated solutions for estate planning for high net worth families – including entertainers and creatives with intellectual property and royalties.
So, how do you get started making an estate plan?
Stage 1: Beginners and Intended Beneficiaries
Even if you’re early in your career and haven’t built many significant assets, or don’t need a complicated estate tax exemption, estate planning is still essential. It’s all about being prepared for when life happens – like marriages, kids, and home purchases. You can protect assets with estate planning documents that put you in control.
It’s still important to talk to an estate planning attorney who can help you create a will to name beneficiaries and guardians, assign durable powers of attorney for finances, and set up advance healthcare directives.
This is where affordable estate planning for the middle class is important. A thoughtful plan doesn’t require vast wealth; it just requires clarity. Estate planning documents ensure decisions are made by the family members you trust, not by default state rules or courts.
A lot of people as us: “Do I need a trust if I’m not rich?” We always say to start with the basics to set the stage for growth.
Stage 2: Homeowners, Families, and Growing Assets
Once you own property, have children, or build investments, estate planning becomes less about “if” and more about “how.” There are things like income taxes, capital gains, how to minimize estate taxes, charitable remainder trusts, high net worth estates, and sometimes family limited partnerships to contend with.
For many Californians, we often advise a revocable living trust to help avoid probate, keep assets private, and ensure smoother transfers to loved ones. Probate fees are tied to asset values, not income, so homeowners — especially in Los Angeles — benefit from planning early. Early on, estate planning blends practicality with protection.
A lot of families ask us questions, like:
- How do we protect our kids if something happens?
- How do we avoid court delays?
- How do we keep estate tax planning simple?
Best Coast Estate Law’s team of experienced trust and estate lawyers can help. We construct signature trust and estate plans that grow with you.
Stage 3: Complex Income, Businesses, and Creative Assets
In Stage 3, estate planning becomes strategic. Professionals with variable income, large estates, or business interests need coordination.
For creatives and professionals in entertainment, our estate planning for entertainers experience adds unique layers. We handle legal services like intellectual property and royalties, residual income streams, image and likeness rights, and production entities are involved.
Creatives search for an entertainment trust and estate lawyer who understands both California estate law and the realities of creative careers. And that’s why they end up coming to us. We design trusts to manage royalties over time, protect minors, and preserve creative control.
This is also where privacy matters. Trust-based planning keeps details out of public probate records.
Best Coast Estate Law Does it All
What matters most is not how much you have — but how well your plan fits your life. At Best Coast Estate Law, PC, our entertainment trust and estate law firm that can handle both affordable estate planning for the middle class and estate planning for high net worth families. And with both groups we bring something rare to the table: perspective. What does that mean? It means your estate plan won’t outgrow your attorney, and you won’t need to start over as your life changes, ebbs, and flows.
Estate Planning Is a Journey
You don’t need to be rich to plan for the future. You don’t need to be famous to protect your legacy. And you don’t need complexity to get started. Estate planning works best when it’s clear, flexible, and strong enough to grow with you.
If you’ve asked yourself “Do I need a trust?”, or you’re exploring estate planning for middle class families, or you’re preparing for generational wealth, the right guidance makes all the difference.
Call us for a free consultation so we can help you get started.
