What "affordable" has to include to be worth anything
A living trust package is only as good as its least-finished piece. At any price, a complete plan includes six things: the revocable living trust (individual or joint), a pour-over will, an advance healthcare directive, a financial power of attorney, the property transfer deed — and the step almost every cheap option skips — recording that deed with the Shasta County Recorder. Skip the recording and the trust controls nothing; your family lands in probate anyway, holding a binder that changed nothing.
The Redding market at a glance
- Online templates: $79–$500. You get a document generator. The deed, the recording, the funding — your homework. Most of it never gets done.
- Our flat fee: $1,995 complete. Every document above, prepared with you in the room by a registered Legal Document Assistant, deed recording included, notary at signing.
- Redding-area estate attorneys: $3,000–$8,000+. The same documents plus legal advice — the right buy for complex situations, overkill for most.
Why we can charge less than half the attorney rate
No mystery: we're not attorneys, and we don't pretend to be. A Legal Document Assistant prepares documents at your direction — we can explain every option that exists, but we can't advise you which to pick. Cutting legal advice out of the package cuts the license overhead and the hourly billing out of the price. For the majority of Shasta County families whose situations are straightforward, advice was never the missing piece. The documents were. See the honest comparison: How Much Does a Living Trust Cost in Redding?
Flat means flat
$1,995 is collected once, at your planning appointment. It covers a joint trust for married couples at no extra charge, the mobile notary if you can't come to our Bechelli Lane office, and the county recording fees for your primary residence deed. Nothing is sprung on you at signing. Most families go from first phone call to a fully recorded estate plan in under three weeks — two appointments, done.
Not sure which kind of help you need? That's normal — and it's exactly what the free call is for. If your situation needs an attorney, we'll say so at the free call — before you've spent a dollar — and connect you with our network of top-notch estate planning attorneys, LDAs, and paralegals.
Common questions
Why is your trust package so much cheaper than an attorney's?
Because it doesn't include legal advice. A registered LDA prepares the same documents at your direction without an attorney's hourly billing or overhead. Families who need legal strategy should hire an attorney — and we'll tell you if that's you.
Are there any hidden fees on top of the $1,995?
No. The flat fee includes all six documents, a joint trust for couples, the notary at signing, and recording your primary residence deed with the Shasta County Recorder. Additional properties needing their own deeds are quoted upfront.
Is a cheap online trust just as good?
The document may be valid, but online platforms leave funding — deeding your home into the trust and recording it — to you. An unfunded trust doesn't avoid probate. That gap is the most common reason DIY estate plans fail.