Revocable living trust
The usual lead document for a homeowner. What it holds passes to the people you name without a court case, and is managed for you if you are ever unable to manage it yourself.
Estate planning
Estate planning in Reno, explained until it makes sense.
Wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, built as one plan, with each document explained before you sign. Estate plans are quoted as a single flat fee at the consultation.
The short answer
A Nevada estate plan is usually built from a revocable living trust or a will, a financial power of attorney, a health-care directive, and the deed work that puts the home into the trust. Which combination fits depends on what you own and who you want to protect, and the first conversation will tell you which. Bring a list of what you own, the names of the people you would want in charge, and any documents you already have.
In this area
What a complete plan includes
An estate plan is a set of answers, written down in a form the law recognizes: who is in charge if you can’t be, who gets what, who raises the kids, and who can talk to the doctor.
Will (or pour-over will)
Names guardians for minor children and catches anything left outside the trust. If a trust isn’t needed, a will leads the plan instead.
Financial power of attorney
Lets someone you trust pay the mortgage, manage accounts, and handle business if you can’t, with no court-appointed guardianship.
Healthcare directive
Your medical wishes and your chosen voice in the room, on Nevada’s own form, so your family does not have to guess.
HIPAA authorizations
The short form that lets doctors and hospitals talk to the people you list.
Deeds & trust funding
The deed that moves your home into your trust, and the beneficiary designations that need to match it. The step that is easy to skip, and the one that makes the trust work.
Trust or will?
Which one leads the plan depends mostly on what you own:
| Your situation | Usually the right fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You own a home in Nevada | Trust-based plan | Keeps the house out of probate; manages it if you’re incapacitated |
| You rent; assets have beneficiaries | Will-based plan | Fewer documents; little of what you own would go through probate anyway |
| Blended family, second marriage | Trust-based plan | Controls timing and shares precisely |
| Minor children | Either, with a guardian named and trust shares for the children | Money managed for kids, not handed over at 18 |
| One property, very simple wishes | Will + transfer-on-death deed | Sometimes the simpler tool is enough |
A will alone does not avoid probate in Nevada. A will is instructions for the probate court, and property in your name alone still goes through it.
What Nevada law gives you to work with
Nevada’s rules are favorable to planning, and a good plan uses them:
- No state estate tax, inheritance tax, or income tax.
- Community property with right of survivorship options for married couples.
- Transfer-on-death deeds for simple situations, letting a home pass outside probate.
- Nevada asset protection trusts for families with meaningful exposure.
- Probate shortcuts for small estates.
One conversation will tell you what your family needs, and what it doesn’t.
Request a consultationHow it works
A conversation about your family and what you own
You describe your family, your property, and what you want to happen. You leave knowing the whole process, the first step, and the flat fee, quoted at the consultation.
Drafts, reviewed together
You receive complete drafts and walk through them with the attorney, document by document, until every page says what you mean.
Signing and recording
The documents are signed with the formalities Nevada requires, and the deed is recorded with the Washoe County Recorder. You leave knowing where everything is and what each document does.
Who this is for
These are the moments when people usually call:
- Anyone with a plan already, done years ago or done by someone who wasn’t a lawyer, who wants to know whether it says what they think it says.
- A surviving spouse whose joint plan now needs amending, and the cleanup that comes after a death.
- New parents naming guardians and setting up trust shares so kids don’t inherit a lump sum at eighteen.
- Homeowners who just realized the house alone puts their estate above Nevada’s probate shortcuts.
- Blended families who want fairness spelled out precisely, while everyone’s on good terms.
- Business and ranch owners coordinating succession and land with the family plan.
- Adult children helping a parent get organized.
How the firm charges
What you will know before any work begins.
Explained in plain English
What the work involves and what each document does, before you sign anything.
Agreed before work begins
Nothing starts until you know how the work is priced and how payment works.
One flat fee, quoted at the consultation.
Estate plans are quoted as a single flat fee at the consultation.
Questions
Do I need a trust, or is a will enough?
It depends mostly on whether you own real estate. A will alone does not avoid probate in Nevada; assets titled in your name still go through court. If you own a home, a revocable living trust is usually the better fit. The first conversation will tell you which.
What happens if I die without any plan?
Nevada’s intestacy statutes decide for you: fixed shares to a spouse and children after community property rules are applied, and a court-appointed administrator. A plan replaces those defaults with your own choices.
Does a living trust really avoid probate?
Yes, for everything the trust owns. That is why funding matters: the deed that puts the home into the trust, and beneficiary designations that match it.
How often should a plan be updated?
After marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move, a home purchase, or a meaningful change in assets.
Is there an estate tax in Nevada?
No. Nevada has no estate tax, no inheritance tax, and no state income tax. Only estates above the federal exemption face federal estate tax.
What about a transfer-on-death deed instead?
Nevada’s transfer-on-death deed passes a home outside probate and can be revoked at any time. In a simple situation it is enough. It does nothing for incapacity or for minor children, and cannot manage timing or shares.
When you’re ready
Bring the plan you have, or start from nothing.
The first conversation covers your family, what you own, and the fee. Nothing is drafted before that.