How to Choose and Vet a Professional Fiduciary
You’re handing someone legal control over a loved one’s money, or their person, or both. Verifying a fiduciary’s license and understanding how they bill isn’t optional due diligence — it’s the whole point of hiring a licensed professional in the first place.
Verify the license first
Look up any candidate on the California Professional Fiduciaries Bureau license search — confirm the license is active, check for any disciplinary history, and confirm they carry the required bond. Membership in the Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC) is a further, though not required, credential worth asking about.
How fees typically work
Most fiduciaries bill hourly, with rates that vary by region and the complexity of the estate — get the hourly rate, typical monthly hours for a case like yours, and how often they invoice, in writing before signing anything. For a court-supervised conservatorship, fees are also subject to court approval, which is itself a layer of oversight worth understanding upfront.
Questions to ask before hiring
- How many active clients do you currently manage, and how often will you actually be in contact with our family?
- Can you provide references from other families, or from attorneys who’ve worked with you?
- How do you handle disagreements among family members about decisions you make?
- What’s your backup plan if you become unavailable or incapacitated yourself?
If you ever suspect a fiduciary is mismanaging funds or acting outside their authority, you can file a complaint directly with the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau, and a court-appointed conservator can also be reported to the court that appointed them.
Looking for one? See our Professional fiduciaries directory — every listing is a clearly-labeled, flat-fee placement, never a referral fee, never tied to whether you hire them.
What a professional fiduciary actually does · The conservatorship process · All guides