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 ...

Learn how probate validates a will, pays debts, and distributes assets to heirs. State intestacy laws apply when there is no ...

If all registered assets pass to your intended beneficiaries without the need for an estate grant, then probate is not ...

One of the most effective tools in the estate planning process is a trust, which can offer significant advantages-including the ability to bypass the often lengthy and costly probate process. Trusts, ...

Most people have goals for what they wish to achieve in the next 10 years, five years, five months, that day or even in the next hour. Short-term and long-term goals are a good and healthy way to ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

Probate is a largely misunderstood but generally feared concept. Over half of the respondents to a recent study said that they have no idea about the costs involved in probate, and that they perceive ...

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 ...

One of the biggest mistakes people make with estate planning is to assume that estate planning means getting a document. Whether it is a will, a revocable trust, living trust, or any other document, a ...

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 ...