3 reasons you want to avoid Probate

Protect your assets and avoid probate with these three reasons

When you pass away, your family may need to visit a probate court in order to claim their inheritance. This can happen if you own property. For example, a house, car, bank account, investment account, or other asset that is only in your name. Although having a will is a good basic form of planning, a will does not avoid probate. Instead, a will simply lets you inform the probate court of your wishes. Your family still has to go through the probate process to make those wishes legal. Now that you have an idea of why probate might be necessary, our experienced probate lawyer shares 3 key reasons why you want to avoid probate if at all possible.

1. It’s All Public Record

Almost everything that goes through the courts, including probate, becomes a matter of public record. This means when your estate goes through probate, all associated family and financial information becomes accessible to anyone who wants to see it. This doesn’t necessarily mean account numbers and social security numbers. The courts have at least taken some steps to reduce the risk of identity theft. What it does mean is that the value of your assets, creditor claims, the identities of your beneficiaries, and even any family disagreements that affect the distribution of your estate will be available. This public information is often only a click away because many courts have moved to online systems. Most people prefer to keep this type of information private. The best way to ensure discreteness is to keep your estate out of probate.

2. It Can Be Expensive

Thanks to court costs, attorney fees, executor fees, and other related expenses, the price tag for probate can easily reach into the thousands of dollars, even for small or “simple” estates. These costs can easily skyrocket into the tens of thousands or more if family disputes or creditor claims arise during the process. This money from your estate should be going to your beneficiaries, but if it goes through probate, a significant portion could go to the courts, creditors, and legal fees, instead.

Of course, setting up an estate plan that avoids probate does have its own costs. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Like the “ounce of prevention,” costs you incur now to put a plan in place. When planning ahead, it is more easily controlled than uncertain costs in the future, especially when you consider your family may be making decisions while grieving. With proper planning, you can minimize the risk of costly conflict. You can also reduce or eliminate some costs, like court costs and executor fees; if there’s no probate case there won’t be any probate costs.

3. It Can Take Awhile

While the time frame for probating an estate can vary widely from state to state and by the size of the estate itself, probate is not generally a quick process. It’s not unusual for estates, even seemingly simple or small ones, to be held up in probate for 12 months to two years. During probate, your beneficiaries may not have easy access to funds or assets. This delay can be especially difficult on family members going through a hardship. Your beneficiaries might benefit from a faster, simpler process, such as the living trust administration process. Bypassing probate can significantly speed the disbursement of assets, so beneficiaries can benefit sooner from their inheritance.

Planning Ahead

If your assets are located in multiple states, the probate process must be repeated in each state in which you hold property. This repetition can cost your family even more time and money. Here’s the good news: with proper trust-centered estate planning, you can avoid probate for your estate. Simplify the transfer of your financial legacy, and provide lifelong asset and tax protection to your family.

To learn more, call us to set-up your Family Planning Assessment. We will be happy to strategize with you and get a plan in place to protect your family.