Frequently asked questions

A professional fiduciary is a licensed, bonded individual appointed to manage money, property, and care decisions for someone else, serving as trustee, conservator, executor, or agent. The role carries a legal duty of loyalty: decisions must serve the person or the beneficiaries, never the fiduciary.

In California, professional fiduciaries are licensed and regulated by the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau, which requires qualifying education, an examination, a background check, and ongoing continuing education.

Name a professional when no relative is available, when the relative lives far away or lacks the time, when family conflict would make any relative’s decisions suspect, or when the estate is complex enough that a mistake would be costly. Serving as trustee is real work carrying real liability, and many families choose to spare a relative from it.

A trustee’s authority comes from a trust document and reaches only the assets held in that trust. A conservator’s authority comes from a court order and can reach a living person’s finances, their care, or both. Trusteeship is usually private; conservatorship is supervised by the court, with inventories and accountings filed for review.

Yes. Fedora Fiduciary holds California professional fiduciary license #1701. Where a court appointment requires a bond, one is obtained in the amount the court sets. Client funds are held separately from firm operating accounts and reconciled monthly.

Professional fiduciary services are $220 per hour. Support staff work carried out under the fiduciary’s supervision is $165 per hour. Time is billed in 15-minute increments, and you receive a written estimate before any engagement begins. Property transactions may instead be charged through a real estate administration fee of up to one percent of the transaction value.

Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons we are appointed. We serve where the person or the property is located, here in Northern California, and report to family anywhere. Adult children managing a parent’s care from another state receive regular written updates and a direct line to Shannon.

No. We work alongside them. The attorney handles the law, the CPA handles tax filings, the advisor manages the portfolio under our oversight, and we hold the authority and the responsibility for decisions. If you do not have those advisors, we can suggest several to interview, with no compensation to us either way.

Speak with us first, so we can confirm we are able to accept the appointment. Your attorney then names us using our exact legal designation. We provide that language and a signed willingness to serve for your file.