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

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 ...

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 ...

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

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

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

Having a probate court wade through your estate can be time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. It can also be a public spectacle if disputes develop. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies to ...

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 ...