They're just a trust mill churning out the same identical forms to every other family, no matter the circumstances. If you use them, it is good that you will be dead and won't be around to see the mess they helped you leave behind. read more

This service was recommended to me by family friends who had used it. I had high hopes for it in the beginning. The beginning of the process is simple enough as others have mentioned you can do it online. I would like to think that I am fairly capable of following instructions. The trust comes back to you placed in order with instructions for each page that requires a signature. They are very good about emphaziing that your date of signature on the forms and the date the forms are notarized do not have to match and they even give you the Civil Code information in case the notary insists that you sign in their presence. Some of the pages have a sample that you can follow when signing and notarizing. If you own property the instructions are less clear. They refer you to videos that do not actually explain specifics. The instructions are not clear. As others have mentioned in their reviews when you ask for clarification they let you know that the fees you paid do not cover detailed questions and they refer you back to the unhelpful videos. To be fair Patti did answer some of my questions with actual answers or (3 questions where I stated my understanding of the instructions and she wrote "correct") but when the videos did not cover the answers and I offered her my understanding and wanted to make sure I was understanding the instructions correctly she let me know that this type of clarification/information was not covered by the service I had purchased. Bottom line if you are super savy and maybe have someone who is a lawyer/paralegal who can help you with minor clarification questions after you receive the trust then this is a good service for you. At this point I feel like I should have paid a little more elsewhere to get service that did not leave me feeling as though I was hanging by a thread. read more

Way too many loopholes in his trusts. My mother wanted to protect her kids if she died first as she knew my father would take the money. She thought she was protected with his Trust. Biggest fear happened and my father spent my mother's millions BEFORE going through his half. We spent over a quarter of a million in legal fees and still did not get our portion of our mother's half. You get what you pay for. read more

affordable living trust did my trust in 2015. I want to update my trust. Brian called me back and yelled at me for wanting to make changes he did not agree with. Then he said if they did make the changes it would cost over $1200. very rude man. sorry I ever used them. read more

Fast and easy service by mail for updating our Living Trust . I filled out a form online and received the papers within 2 business days with instructions to sign , notarize and activate the trust. Happy with the service for a reasonable cost. read more

Easy to complete, great step by step instructions. They respond fast. Their pricing is great, saved a lot of money. Many lawyers want a few thousands. read more

I've been a client of Affordable Living Trusts and established a generic Single Trust back in 2018. I am getting married this spring and reached out to advise them of my new upcoming status and asked if I could work with the office to update and document my wishes. I immediately received an email from Patti, stating that they could help and that I should make an appointment to come in immediately in addition to completing an online questionnaire. My understanding was to update the questionnaire with my new status. When she received the questionnaire back, she called to tell me that I should leave everything the same and to re-instate what I currently had in place. Furthermore, she advised that after the wedding I could come in again to change the status. I was unsure what that meant - could I update the current Trust, or would a new Trust be required? I asked her why I had to re-instate now, and the response was "I should want to do this, I have assets, the last update was 2018." I asked her what the value add is, since my status would change in a few months and nothing from the original Trust had changed. Instead of answering, she said she'd cancel my appointment. I could come in after I got married. She then sent me a note saying that I should re-instate AFTER I get married contradicting what she said initially when she made my appointment. I was more confused than ever. I had asked if I could make an appointment with the Counsel, which I had planned to pay for, to help me understand what I should do in advance and to understand my options. I also wanted to better understand if I should change my name, due to the current Trust, which I would have needed to know before getting married. My only option for working with this office is to pay $1000 to speak to Mr. Mahaffey or pay about $1200 - $1400 to re-instate my current Trust. I could not get an answer if it would be possible to keep my existing trust and revise it once I get married, without paying $1000. They absolutely refused to answer any questions without a $1000 price tag. Furthermore, while asking for clarification on options Patti's reply was: "Any additional staff time to restate our offerings will incur a service fee". There are many options in this Valley. As a result of the frustrating experience that I've described, I've sought out an office that I'm comfortable working with and who will speak to me for much less and answer basic questions, such as YES, my trust can be revised. Affordable Living Trusts? Only if you don't have any questions. I'm beyond disappointed with them. read more

Landis is amazing! 37 years of experience. Not only does he know the law but more importantly he brings the knowledge of the many poor outcomes from well-intentioned but flawed Living Trusts. You can pay more but I doubt you can find this much one on one expertise for less. read more

My grandpa was a very smart man, so it's no wonder he came here in 2001 to set up our family trust. While he's no longer with us, we're very lucky my grandmother still is. So when I had questions on the trust and power of attorney, Brian was incredibly fast, helpful, knowledgeable, and personable. As someone who has now experienced using the trust provided by Affordable Living Trusts, I would highly recommend. Thank you Brian! read more

I would NEVER have my trust done here. My mother signed up for this one, and it's been a nightmare for almost 3 years. Ben usually doesn't return calls, or E-mails, always has an excuse for not getting back to me after me calling 2-3 times. Then when he said he was sending paperwork to my siblings and I, it took about a month or more, and when I call, he's got an answer that he working on it right now! Ha, he told me that on 3 different occasions for 3 different packages he supposedly sent. I had planned on having my trust done here, but wouldn't want my kids to go thru what I did. And 3 years....is a bit too long to get things done for a simple trust. read more

My wife and I were thinking about setting up a living trust for years. We procrastinated because of the cost, making time for the office appointment etc. Affordable Living Trusts took away all of the excuses. They are very affordable compared to other options out there. Most everything is done online. When I had questions they were very responsive via email. I also liked that they were a law office with a physical address and phone number, not to far away so I knew how to find them in case there were any issues! LOL! They have very good written instructions/info and video clips on their website. After receiving the paper package in the mail, everything was well organized and has great instructions. The worst part of the process was having to get everything notarized but that's another story of no fault to Affordable Living Trusts. I would say if you have a simple estate, this is a great service to use. read more

Going to a lawyer in a nice, posh part of Saratoga *seems* like a good idea, but so far I haven't been that impressed. I *do* think a trust is a really good idea. I don't think I would go here for any future trust needs. I know lawyers aren't known for being particularly high-tech, but it is possible to make up for this with good, solid service, creating the feeling that the work you are commissioning is important and will be managed with integrity. Affordable Trust fails this on several counts. -They are terrible on the phone. They don't keep track of their clients, so it is a new interaction pretty much every time. I have been invited to come in to talk for an initial consultation several times. They will also put you on hold 2-3 times during the call. They also don't answer phone messages as far as I can tell, so don't bother leaving one. -Lack of tact. When going here with a relative who had experienced a recent death in the family, they started in immediately on the tax implications and told her to her face that "tax-wise, next year would be a better year to die." While this might be true, it is rude AND it isn't really relevant to real-world estate planning. -They have a hard time retrieving documents. Have they heard of PDFs? I don't think so. I can get anything, anytime from my accountant, but this place doesn't believe that they are the guardians of your documents. Basically you get your binder and go, probably never to return. If you have a fire, or flood, or other event where your document doesn't make it through intact you have to pay a lot of money to get a new one. -They charge a lot for basic services such as notary services. It is cheaper (free, actually!) to get some of these things done at your local bank. -They don't take credit cards. This is actually not a big deal, and is really quite understandable. They do tell you this ahead of time, but I thought it might a useful datapoint for the review. read more

Excellent service! we went there in our lunch time , not exactly know what we want to do?. How we want to set up the whole things ?, and want to be done in my lunch hour?...Landis,Barbara and another employee , worked so hard to get everything figured out , and also get it done in such a short time was Fantastic. I will defiantly recommend them . Thank you! read more

Annie, Barbara & Landis all helped to customize a will and trust for us. Some of the most important steps were to educate us on what we need to do and the legal mechanics of how it works. We also feel comfortable that we have a firm that we can go to if we have future questions or want to make changes. They also worked quickly to get this trust/will in place in 1 week. Thanks to the Affordable Living Trust team - you guys are great!! read more

Originally, I had my living trust done by an attorney in this office 13 years ago and my son was only a teenager at that time. Now, he is 28 years old, single. Therefore, I have been thinking to amend the trust. Nevertheless, I couldn't really make up my mind. I called this office and talked to an attorney assistant named Brian back and forth for many times. He is very patient with my concern and questions. Most of all, he gave me his most honest and professional answers he could. I am also very impressed with his knowledge. I can't thank him enough! read more

A good friend recommended Affordable Living Trusts to me, and I am absolutely delighted by the experience. I used their Trust by Mail offering advertised on their website. I downloaded a packet of forms, read them at home & filled them out, and sent them back in. Only a few days later, an envelope arrived at my house with all the forms ready to be notarized. I never had to go into the office or call them on the phone. I've heard from others that most lawyers will charge $2500 to put together a trust for you. I paid $409 with Affordable Living Trust. read more

Be selective, we've had different experiences with different attorney's. If something doesn't seem right get a second opinion. Don't get sold on a petition unless it is honored by both Federal and State laws. read more

These people are the best. You will come out with a living trust as good as provided by "estate planners" for less than $1,000

I worked with Affordable Living Trusts on handling my mom's trust and my husband and I just got our trust done. Everyone we encountered both times was friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, and put extra time into answering all our questions. For our trust, we used the online option to complete information before we came in. It was very easy to do. We had an exception that meant we had to go into the office and complete the trust in person, but it's possible, affordable, and easy to do it completely online too. I'm happy to have this done and I highly recommend Affordable Living Trusts. read more

Annie and Barbara did a fantastic job on implementing a living trust, spill over wills, powers of attorney etc in a professional, efficient and budget friendly manner. I have been recommending them to everyone with out a trust! Thank you! read more

Used them and found them reliable, cost effective and fast. Of course, if you stray from the beaten path, the charges will be different, but these folks have taken the cost out of basic stuff. I would recommend them to anyone who has reasonably straightforward trust to be established. read more

Helpful, informative and thorough! I would, and have, recommended affordable living trusts. Not very techie, so don't expect that! Had to call ahead before sending an email. :) read more

Excellent, thorough and friendly! They explained in great detail the entire process and differences in types of trusts. Annie is super friendly and makes the visits enjoyable as well as informative. We have already referred our friends and family, many of who have used them too. They have also answered questions after the fact that have come up during refinancing our home, etc, so they weren't just there to push you through, they still continue to provide great service! read more

My husband and I met with the team at Affordable Living Trust. They were so patient and explained everything to us. We came with a lot of questions and every one of them was answered thoroughly. It was a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. I have referred several of my clients, family and friends to them. read more

Edgenail Zero stars. My experience is similar to Redvirgo C's. $750 for after death work. 45 minuets for and affidavit of successor trustee. I called back latter, and was told "sorry we don't represent you" Their incomplete work cost me thousands of dollars in capital gains taxes, never mind the grief of dealing with a non updated successor trustee issue. You might think you got a good deal on estate planning , but Charmin is a way better product at a fraction of the cost. read more

So Yelp decides who can review or not. I posted an excellent review of the services that Affordable Living Trust has done for us and Yelp decided to remove it. I never used Yelp before and think there is something seriously wrong with what it does. I will be posting a very negative review about Yelp as soon as I'm done with this. My mother had her living trust done in 1989 and was so impressed by the cost, the service and the staff, that she recommended my wife and I to get the same trust done. We finally followed her sage advice several years later in 1991 and found the same to be true. Over the years, we have recommended Landis and his excellent team at Affordable Living Trust to many of our friends and business acquaintances. The people we talked to who have utilized their services have told us the same good things. Some of them have also treated us to a nice dinner as a thank you for turning them on to Affordable Living Trust. Half of the staff at my office have also had their trust done there. Our original living trust was done in 1991. As times have changed, we have found that our trust needed to be updated to take advantage of new laws that have been enacted and take into account life's occurrences. The staff at Affordable Living Trust have always been knowledgeable and helpful in this area. Every time we have called they have always remembered both my wife and I, as well as my mother. We just had our trust last reviewed in April 2010 and were able to take advantage of a great new service they provide- a PDF file, which can be emailed and is accessible worldwide. We have typically heard of trusts costing at other attorney offices between $2500 to $5000. For well under a $1000, they were able to provide everything we needed to make sure our assets are protected which includes not only the trust but also generating documents needed for recording, notary signatures, and an electronic copy of the trust. They also assisted us in completing The Advance Health Care Directive Kit which we were a little lax in finishing. My wife and I are extremely happy with all that Affordable Living Trust has done and would whole heartily recommend them to everyone that hasn't had a trust done yet. And even if you've had one done, it might be time for it to be reviewed and updated.... read more

I had a great experience at "Affordable Living Trust" and have referred them to family, friends & clients. The experience was extremely simple and very informative. We had two visits. One to go over all the information and make decisions and the second to pick up the completed Trust and go over what our part was from then on. I did receive a binder that I have referred back to many times as well as a master copy of everything that we were advised to put in to a safe deposit box which we did. They do also offer an electronic copy of your Trust for an additional fee as well. The fee for the whole package was extremely affordable compared to most law offices. If I want the over the top fancy office then I am going to have to pay for that in the cost of my Trust. So far I do not believe that expensive floors and fancy suits mean I am getting better service or a better product. I like the fact that this is all they do at "Affordable Living" Trust hence the name. They also offer free workshops to give you an overall view of the need for a trust in the first place. If you like what they have to say then give them a call you will not be disappointed. read more

Happy happy happy. I recommended a couple of friends do their trust recently at Affordable Living Trust. They gave me some great feedback that I can use with other friends and family. The staff at the office was able to meet with them on short notice. They reside in the central valley, 150 miles away. Since the office works as a team, they were able to be serviced on multiple levels. In the city were they reside, the average cost is $1,500 to $5,000 dollars. Accommodatingly, they were able to complete the trust with one visit. With their unique situation, the lawyers consult them extensively with their desired goals. Advised them of the pros and cons of their estate plan. Both are middle aged and divorced. Love each other enough to get married. But for many reasons, financial, estate planning, tax and family reasons, they decided not to marry. Out the door with multiple copies of the trust, deeds of their home notarized, they walked out the door for $850. Glad fully, they took me to a very nice dinner with the money saved. My belly is full and I'm happy. read more

We were happy with our experience in working with Affordable Living Trust. They helped us to think through the decisions by giving us a structure and walked us through the trust process efficiently. For those who need to set up a living trust (and have procrastinated), this is a great place to begin. The attorneys and staff are down-to-earth and approachable. read more