Core Service
My goal is to produce a balanced accounting that complies with the California Probate Code, California Rules of Court and local rules using the documents / data provided by you or your attorney.
Note: I only prepare accountings for fiduciaries (e.g., Executors, Personal Representatives, Trustees, Conservators or Guardians) who are currently represented by a licensed California attorney. There are two exceptions: 1) You are a California attorney who is also the fiduciary or 2) You are a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
How long will it take to complete the accounting and how much will it cost?
Truth be told, it's impossible to accurately determine in advance how long it will take or how much it will cost to complete an accounting. It's like being asked how long it will take to put together a jigsaw puzzle. The problem is, you haven't seen the box, you I don't really know how many pieces there are, whether pieces are missing, or whether there are "extra" pieces, what color the pieces are or even what the puzzle looks like.
Conservatorship / Guardianship accountings are generally the most straight forward. Each accounting period is typically just one or two years and the beginning assets and their values have been reported to the court on one or more Inventory and Appraisal forms (DE-160/GC-040). More concretely, for a Conservatorship / Guardianship I expect to see a two or three bank accounts (checking/saving/money market), maybe a brokerage account, a house and perhaps some tangible personal property.
Decedent Estate accountings typically cover a period of one to three years but some may cover a period of 7 years or more. This is because the administration of the estate is more complex and there are generally more assets in the estate as compared to a Conservatorship / Guardianship.
Trust accountings can be VASTLY more involved. The accounting period is often longer, perhaps 5 years or more. It's not unusual to have are multiple bank accounts at two or more banks, two or more brokerage accounts and one or more pieces of real property. Throw in rental properties, two or three sub-trusts, principal and income allocations (if required), multiple transfers between accounts, and things can get very, very complicated, time intensive and expensive.
All fiduciary accounting work is billed at $100 - 125/hour. Total Cost = Hours x $100-125/hour. I generally don't require an engagement letter be signed in instances where I expect the work to be completed within 30 days or so. For more involved projects, or if requested, I can send an engagement letter which discusses the terms of the engagement.
Questions?
Feel free to call me at (916) 595-9926 or (888) 915-8705.