Estates and trusts: instrument.

Existing law defines "instrument" for purposes of the Probate Code to mean a will, trust, deed, or other writing that designates a beneficiary or makes a donative transfer of property. Existing law, the Trust Law, regulates the creation, modification, and termination of trusts and the administration of trusts by trustees on behalf of beneficiaries. This bill would revise the definition of instrument under the Probate Code to mean a will, a document establishing or modifying a trust, a deed, or any other writing that designates a beneficiary or makes a donative transfer of property.