Questions families and advisors most often ask.

A California Licensed Professional Fiduciary (CLPF) is a licensed professional who manages another person's personal, financial, or legal affairs when that person cannot do it themselves — or when there is no appropriate family member to do it.

California is one of the few states that requires fiduciaries to be licensed. The credential involves an exam, background check, bond, insurance, continuing education, and regulatory oversight by the California Professional Fiduciaries Bureau.

The most common situations:

• A parent has died and named a successor trustee who can no longer serve.
• An aging family member can no longer manage their own finances, and there is no obvious person to step in.
• Sibling co-trustees disagree and need a neutral party.
• A court appoints a conservator for an incapacitated adult.

The common thread: someone needs to take responsibility for another person's affairs with the discipline, documentation, and impartiality the work requires.

A trustee manages assets held in a trust according to the terms of the trust document. The role is private — not court-supervised in most cases.

An agent under power of attorney handles financial matters on behalf of someone who is still alive but needs help, under the terms of the durable power of attorney they signed when they had capacity.

A conservator is appointed by a court to manage the affairs of an adult who can no longer manage their own — either of the estate (financial), of the person (personal and health decisions), or both. Conservatorship comes with court accountings, regular reviews, and a higher level of formal oversight.

Usually with a phone call. We talk through the situation — what is going on, what kind of role might be appropriate, who else is involved (attorneys, advisors, family). If it sounds like a fit, we set up a longer meeting to look at documents and discuss next steps. There is no charge for the initial conversation.

If a court appointment is involved, the process is more formal — usually a referral from an attorney filing a petition, with the court making the appointment after a hearing.

Fiduciary services are billed hourly, in 15-minute increments, at the rates published on the fee schedule. Most engagements involve a mix of fiduciary time and (where appropriate) lower-cost support staff time. For real property transactions, an alternative percentage-based fee may apply.

For court-supervised matters, fees are subject to court approval as part of the accounting process.

Generally yes — though the mechanics depend on the role. Trust documents typically include a process for removing and replacing a trustee. Conservators are appointed and removed by the court. Powers of attorney can usually be revoked by the principal if they have capacity.

I would rather you ask this question up front than find yourself trapped in a relationship that isn't working. If you ever need to make a change, I will hand off the file cleanly.

Yes — this is a core commitment of the practice. I do not move client assets. When you refer a client, the AUM stays with you, the family relationship stays with you, and I administer the fiduciary side from where the assets already live. My fees come from the fiduciary work; yours stay where they always have.

This is the opposite of the bank-trust pattern, and it is deliberate.

Closely, and without trying to do their work. Legal questions go to the attorney; tax matters and Form 1041 work go to the CPA; investment decisions go to the financial advisor. My role is to coordinate among them, hold the fiduciary responsibility, and make sure the administrative work gets done well.

The team that served the client well in life is usually the team that should serve the trust well after.

Yes. California licensed fiduciaries are required to maintain bonding and insurance appropriate to the matters they handle. Documentation is available on request.

Yes — conservatorships and court-supervised trusts in Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties. I am NCG-credentialed (National Certified Guardian, Center for Guardianship Certification).

Deliberately small. The point of an independent practice is to stay close enough to each matter to do it well. If a referral is a fit but the timing isn't, I will say so — and where I can, point you toward a colleague.

Yes — a short FA / fiduciary handoff reference is here. It explains the AUM-stays-put commitment, the role of a fiduciary alongside an existing advisor, and what to expect during a typical handoff.