A California revocable living trust is a legal arrangement in which you (the “settlor” or “trustor”) transfer title to your assets into a trust you control during your lifetime, naming yourself as trustee and a successor trustee to step in when you die or become incapacitated. Because the trust is revocable, you can amend or dissolve it at any time, yet at death the assets pass under the trust’s terms without court-supervised probate, preserving privacy and reducing delay for beneficiaries. California law imposes fiduciary duties on the successor trustee—such as notifying heirs, inventorying assets, and accounting—so the trust functions as a flexible, probate-avoidance vehicle that also provides a built-in plan for incapacity management.

Married couples create one joint living trust.

A California pour-over will is a short testamentary document that “catches” any assets you forgot to title in your revocable living trust and directs (or “pours”) them into that trust at death. It also names an executor—often the same person as your successor trustee—and can handle guardianship nominations for minor children. Because the pour-over transfer happens through the will, those leftover assets still pass through probate, so the instrument serves as a safety net rather than a replacement for proper trust funding.

Each spouse in a married couple needs their own will.

A Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA) is a written authorization in which you, the “principal,” appoint someone you trust as “agent” or “attorney-in-fact” to handle financial and other non-medical matters on your behalf. Unlike an ordinary power of attorney, it remains valid—or “durable”—even if you later become incapacitated, allowing the agent to pay bills, manage investments, file taxes, or sign legal documents without court involvement. The principal can amend or revoke the DPOA any time while competent, and the agent must act in the principal’s best interest until the authority ends automatically at the principal’s death.

A California Advance Health-Care Directive (sometimes called a medical power of attorney plus living-will instructions) lets you appoint an agent to make treatment decisions and spell out your wishes—such as resuscitation limits or end-of-life care—if you become unable to communicate. A HIPAA Authorization is a separate but companion document that waives federal privacy rules so doctors and hospitals may share your protected medical information with the people you name, including your health-care agent. Used together, the directive empowers someone to act, while the HIPAA release ensures they can see the records and talk to providers needed to make informed choices on your behalf.