This is the third installment of my seven-part series on major estate planning mistakes. The first two are here and here. Not avoiding probate. When an asset passes to others through a will, it has to ...

Probate can be a lengthy and complex process, leaving executors eager to find ways to expedite it. Familiarizing yourself with the legal procedures and documentation required to settle an estate ...

In John’s case, a trust could have helped his family avoid probate, protect their privacy and minimize estate taxes when his father died. A trust is a legal document that allows you to retain control ...

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, ...

Before shifting my practice from estate planning to estate litigation, I witnessed up close the challenges and frustrations associated with the California probate process. That has changed for many ...

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, ...

Some of the most valuable documents for genealogy are wills and the documents related to the legal process of administering a person's property after their death. This process is called probate. If ...

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and ...

When a loved one passes away and you know you need to get the probate court involved, oftentimes people find themselves asking where they begin. Further, people often wonder if they must get an ...

Q: A fairly wealthy friend of mine recently passed away. Supposedly, in his will he left most everything to his spouse. The problem is that she has been told by her lawyer it will take up to six ...