CI Fiduciary Group celebrates 10th anniversary

SANTA BARBARA, California – Channel Islands Fiduciary Group, a company that offers private, professional fiduciary services for elders and dependent adults, is celebrating 10 years in business.

Founded by Courtney DeSoto, J.D., CLPF, NCG, TEP, Channel Islands Fiduciary Group offers a comprehensive range of fiduciary services to support populations that include at-risk seniors, people who wish to age in their own homes, individuals suffering from mental and/or emotional challenges, those suffering from substance use disorder, adults vulnerable to exploitation or abuse, and isolated adults. DeSoto provides services as a successor trustee, executor and agent on a power of attorney for finances and/or healthcare. She also serves by court appointment in conservatorships and probate administration proceedings.

Professional fiduciaries are hired by individuals, family members or appointed by a court to manage assets, make important decisions, and ensure the well-being of individuals who are unable to do so themselves due to age, illness, or incapacity. They are legally and ethically obligated to act in the best interests of their clients. Fiduciaries are becoming increasingly popular in complicated probate matters and are often appointed where difficult family dynamics prevent a family member from serving. As professional fiduciaries, CI Fiduciary Group is licensed, insured and bonded.

DeSoto has over two decades of social service, legal and fiduciary-related experience. She worked as a probation officer for Santa Barbara County, and later as a court investigator for the Santa Barbara Superior Court, where she served in the probate division monitoring conservatorships and guardianships for legal compliance. In late 2014, DeSoto launched Channel Islands Fiduciary Group to continue assisting vulnerable adults in the community. She is known for her respectful dedication and trustworthy stewardship of her clients’ affairs.

Originally from Sacramento, DeSoto moved to the Santa Barbara area in the 1990s. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Westmont College and a juris doctorate (J.D.) degree from Santa Barbara College of Law.

Passionate about supporting her community, DeSoto is on the boards of Santa Barbara Hospice Foundation, the Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council and the Westmont Women's Leadership Council. She’s also a past member of the Santa Barbara and Ventura Financial Abuse Specialist Team and a member of the Professional Fiduciaries Association of California and the National Guardianship Association. She is the mother of two teen daughters.

---CI Fiduciary Group is located at132 E. Figueroa Street in Santa Barbara. For more information or to book an appointment, call 805.804.3131, email courtney@cifiduciarygroup.com or visit www.cifiduciarygroup.com