Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew F. Erskine is a trusts and estates attorney. Probate is a term that often sends shivers down the spine of those unfamiliar ...

Probate handles asset distribution post-death; having a will simplifies this process. Assign beneficiaries for assets like life insurance to bypass probate. Creating a trust can avoid probate, ...

Managing and securing your estate is one of the most important steps in personal finance. An estate plan ensures your assets get distributed according to your wishes. In addition to mitigating ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She ...

The probate process gets a bad reputation, but it's the reality many families will face, and it's a process that can function well for some small estates. Probate is the court-supervised proceeding in ...

Greg DePersio has 13+ years of professional experience in sales and SEO and 3+ years as a writer and editor. skynesher / Getty Images Though your will is not public during your lifetime, after you die ...

If you’re an active real estate buyer, at some point you’ll likely come across a probate sale. Properties sold in probate court can be a good deal, as they’re often priced lower than other homes. But ...

When a person dies with a will, their estate must usually undergo probate. This is the process by which the will is proven to be valid. As part of this process, the probate court will appoint an ...

Wills have long been utilized as a classic estate-planning tool. But it's not enough to write up a will and call it a day. Once someone with a will passes away, a court needs to validate it via a ...

If you’re named as an executor in a loved one’s will, you’ll be responsible for sorting out their affairs and sharing out their assets. This process is known as estate administration. This generally ...