If all registered assets pass to your intended beneficiaries without the need for an estate grant, then probate is not required. No probate means no probate fees and no legal expense applying for the ...

Before you invest time and money into probate avoidance strategies, it's worth taking a step back to understand whether this ...

Discover how a marital trust can offer tax benefits, avoid probate, and ensure asset distribution to a surviving spouse or ...

Putting everything you own into a living trust can feel like the safest way to help your kids skip probate, but some assets ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bob Carlson researches all facets of retirement finances. About 70% of U.S. adults don’t have a will or trust, according to ...

We constantly hear from advisors that we should plan our affairs in such a way as to avoid probate. What does the phrase mean and what property is subject to the probate process? What planning is ...

What is probate? Is there a way to avoid it? Do you need a will? Why is having a power of attorney more important than a will ...

Probate is the legal process of administering a Decedent’s Last Will & Testament (“Will”), whereby assets owned by the Decedent at death are distributed pursuant to the terms of their Will, or if ...

Q: I am retired and unmarried, and I have three children who live in other states. They don't get along very well. I'm trying to avoid probate when I die so that there will be nothing my children need ...

The probate process can be time-consuming, extending to several months or sometimes years. Additionally, it can be a costly due to court, attorney and executor fees. Plus, probate is a public process, ...

Avoiding probate can save your beneficiaries time, reduce costs and protect their privacy while your estate is being settled. You can keep your Connecticut estate out of the probate court system by ...