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

Learn how probate validates a will, pays debts, and distributes assets to heirs. State intestacy laws apply when there is no ...

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, ...

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 ...

If a deceased person failed to write a will, the laws of the state govern property distribution. As mentioned in my previous column, this is termed intestate inheritance. While the will is probably ...

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 ...