Father and son playing catch with a football
Estate Planning is for Everyone

We believe that all lawyers should deliver more value, speak in plain English, and be more transparent in the process with the goal of delivering the comprehensive services you need more efficiently and collaboratively.

According to an AARP survey, 60% of adults lack a will or living trust. The reality is, even for those who have taken the time to get their estate planning done, most estate plans are woefully inadequate. Everyone needs at least least basic estate planning documents. If you have children, a home, or assets in the six figures, you should have a comprehensive trust-based estate plan that avoids the court procedures of conservatorship and probate, maximizes tax planning opportunities, maximizes asset protection for your beneficiaries, maximizes divorce protection for your beneficiaries, preserves public benefits for your beneficiaries, and ensures that inheritances for young or immature beneficiaries are managed by a trusted adult. At the highest level, think of your estate plan as a set of legally binding instructions that speak for you when you are unable to speak for yourself.

The Lawyer Playbook narrows the divide by sharing the estate planning lawyer’s “playbook.” We have taken the nuanced fundamentals of estate planning and created short videos in simple everyday language to help you understand the concepts and benefits. After watching these videos, you will have a better idea of what you need before you enter your first meeting with your lawyer.

Please remember that the information contained on this website is not intended to aid a “do-it-yourself-approach” but is instead designed to better prepare you to work with a competent lawyer of your choice who is licensed to practice law in your community. Always let the coach run the plays!

Playbook Videos

Kyle opens the Lawyer Playbook to share various legal strategies related to estate planning.

View all Playbook Videos
Expanding FDIC Coverage Through Trusts
Hello. My name is Kyle Krasa and I’m an estate planning attorney in Pacific Grove, California. I’m certified by the state bar of California, as a legal specialist in estate planning trust and probate law. The purpose of this...
The Basics of Medi-Cal Planning for Long Term Care
In this video, Kyle gives a general overview of planning strategies to qualify for Medi-Cal to pay for long-term care, including converting “countable” assets to “non-countable assets,” care contracts, gifting between spouses, and “stacked gifting” to non-spousal third parties....
Certificate of Trust
In this video, Kyle explains how a Certificate of Trust is helpful in titling your assets to your trust in an efficient manner while retaining privacy over the personal aspects of your estate plan.
LLC Planning
In this video, Kyle explains how a Limited Liability Company (“LLC”) can provide asset protection from both “inside creditors” and “outside creditors” and explains why forming an LLC under the right jurisdiction is important.
Trust v. Power of Attorney v. Will
In this video, Kyle explains the three key estate planning documents that appoint an agent to make financial decisions on your behalf. He describes the circumstances of when each document applies and why every comprehensive estate plan includes...
Revoking the Irrevocable
In this video, Kyle explains that irrevocable trusts are not necessarily irrevocable and describes eight methods for modifying or terminating an otherwise irrevocable trust.
Pep Talk Videos

Short videos that inspire you to do your estate planning.

Celebrity Estate Planning Mistakes, Part 1
Celebrities are notorious for making estate planning blunders and you can learn from their mistakes. Kyle reviews some famous estate planning failures that you can be sure to avoid with proper planning and the guidance of a competent attorney.
Celebrity Estate Planning Mistakes, Part 2
There is an endless supply of celebrity estate planning counter-examples. In this video, Kyle describes even more celebrity estate planning blunders that you can avoid with the guidance of a competent attorney.
Classic Cars Have Style; Classic Estate Plans – Not So Much!
Comparing most estate plans to a carefully drafted comprehensive estate plan is a lot like comparing Kyle’s 1953 Chevy Bel Air to a modern car: Most estate plans lack important safety features that are necessary to protect your loved...
View all Pep Talk Videos
About Kyle A. Krasa

I’ve heard time and time again that the number one reason clients put off scheduling a meeting or starting the estate planning process is fear – fear that there will be too much information to digest and that the concepts will be hard to understand. The mission of the Lawyer Playbook is to give you the basic X’s and O’s of estate planning law to prepare you to work with your attorney to accomplish your goals.

Learn More About Kyle
Attorney Kyle A. Krasa