When you die, estate planners say, one of the finest gifts you can leave your heirs is a plan for avoiding probate. Probate ...

Did your father give you a nominal bequest but gave his favorite daughter the bulk of the estate? Were you bequeathed the family dog and $10,000, but your mother’s boyfriend of six months was to ...

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 ...

My mom died just over a year ago, and I’m still knee-deep in probate. I’m barely average. The typical probate process to settle a will or the estate of somebody who dies without one takes 20 months, ...

Don't let common inheritance myths derail your family's future. Learn the truths about taxes, wills, and assets so you can ...

Q. I was told that unlike wills, a trust doesn’t require probate and is not taxable. My main asset is a house that I want to pass on to my son. Would a living trust help? — Planning A. We’re glad ...

New research from Canada Life1 reveals a widespread lack of awareness about where important family documents and financial ...

The typical probate process to settle a will or the estate of somebody who dies without one takes 20 months, according to a new survey on probate from Trust & Will, an online estate-planning service.