It’s easy to create a plan to pass financial accounts directly to heirs before you die and avoid the probate process after death. All you have to do is complete a form from your financial institution ...

Without a will, your state probate court decides where your property goes after your death. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when ...

Probate Initiation: An interested party, often a family member or creditor, petitions the probate court to open an intestate estate. Appointment of Administrator: The court appoints an administrator ...

You see the pattern — through an agreement with the company holding the asset, you have provided for disposition of the asset ...

When someone passes away and their property is not in a trust, these assets must typically go through probate. Probate is a court-supervised process that can delay distribution, increase costs and ...

Many states don’t set a deadline for executors to pay beneficiaries, but other deadlines can affect the timeline. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners ...