Avoiding Probate: How to Fill Out a California Small Estate Affidavit

This is the first video in a series designed to help people understand how to fill out common forms they encounter in California probate proceedings. In this video, I explain how I fill out a Small Estate Affidavit- an invaluable tool to avoid probate when an estate is valued at less than $150,000.

Chances are, if a financial institution told you that you needed "Letters Testamentary" and the estate's total value is less than $150,000, that financial institution needs to get its act together and stop clogging up our court systems with unnecessary probate proceedings. Check it out.

And of course you're smart enough to know that nothing in this video is to be construed as legal advice. It's just how I fill out the form. And nothing in this video creates an attorney-client relationship. In fact, my hope is that this video helps you avoid needing an attorney at all.