Q: I'll try again. Small, I mean small estate. No family, friends to help me out. I'm alone. I need assistance for closing.

A: You need to take at least some minimum steps to make sure no estate administration is required. For every bank account, make sure you have designated a pay-on-death beneficiary and make sure that person knows they are the beneficiary. Following your death, that person can bring in a copy of your death certificate to the bank to receive the funds. If you don't name anyone, or if the person who you want to receive the money doesn't know about it, what will happen is the bank will by law simply hold the funds for a period of three years, and then they will turn it over to the unclaimed funds division of the State of CA. That bank will not lift a finger to notify the beneficiary.

You can write a simple will that would allow a beneficiary to take possession of items such as vehicles.

If you don't have an individual you want to designate as a beneficiary, you can always name a charity. Again, please let them know you have done that.

You should absolutely have an advance health care directive that specifies your choices for burial or cremation. Preferably you can prepay that now when it's likely cheaper and so that your burial or cremation can take place as quickly and easily as possible once you die. If you're interested in cremation, shop around as it has become very competitive with options out there for less than $1,000. Tulip Cremation in SF comes to mind as having very reasonable rates that can be prepaid.