Fees

For trust administration and successor trustee work, our fee is typically 1% of the trust or estate's total assets under management, billed annually. This is a single, all-inclusive percentage — we don't charge a separate fee for the sale of real property or other transactions.

In situations where a percentage fee doesn't reflect the actual scope of work, we may bill hourly instead, using the rates below.

Power of attorney and advance health care directive work, along with other tasks that fall outside trust or estate administration, are generally billed hourly rather than as a percentage of assets, since these roles aren't always tied to managing a large, ongoing asset base.

Our hourly rates are:

• —Professional fiduciary services: $225–$350 per hour
• —Administrative and support staff services: $75–$200 per hour

Work that doesn't require a licensed fiduciary's direct involvement, such as certain clerical or administrative tasks, is billed at the lower support staff rate rather than the fiduciary rate, so you're not paying fiduciary-level fees for work that doesn't require it.

We believe our fees should never come at the expense of the trust or estate we're managing. When a trust's cash position or timing makes it more appropriate, we can defer our fee until a distribution or other liquidity event occurs, rather than requiring immediate payment that could force an unnecessary sale or place unneeded strain on the trust's cash needs. This is evaluated based on what's appropriate for each situation.

Compensation for probate and executor services is set by California law, not by us. Probate Code section 10800 establishes the following schedule, calculated on the value of the estate accounted for, subject to court approval:

• —4% of the first $100,000
• —3% of the next $100,000
• —2% of the next $800,000
• —1% of the next $9,000,000
• —0.5% of the next $15,000,000
• —An amount determined by the court above $25,000,000