Estate & Probate Law
Wills, trusts, inheritance, estate planning, and the legal processes for transferring assets after death.
14 articles
Digital Estate Planning: Managing Your Online Accounts After Death
A guide to digital estate planning — how to document and transfer or close online accounts, cryptocurrency, and digital assets after death under current legal frameworks.
How Joint Tenancy Differs From Tenancy in Common
Joint tenancy and tenancy in common are the two main forms of property co-ownership. Learn about survivorship rights, the four unities, severance methods, and estate planning implications.
How Living Trusts Differ from Wills in Estate Planning
A will requires probate; a living trust avoids it. But trusts cost more to set up and maintain. Understanding what each document does — and does not — determines which tool is right for a given estate.
How Probate Can Be Avoided with Proper Estate Planning
Probate can take 9–18 months and cost 2–5% of estate value. Most assets can bypass it entirely using beneficiary designations, joint ownership, TOD accounts, and living trusts.
How Trust Administration Works After the Grantor's Death
When a trust creator dies, the successor trustee must manage assets, pay debts, file taxes, and distribute property. Learn the step-by-step process, timeline, and trustee duties.
How Trusts Work: The Complete Guide to Estate Planning With Trusts
Trusts are legal arrangements that hold assets for beneficiaries, avoiding probate and controlling distribution. Learn revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, common types, and costs.
How Wills Work: Drafting, Executing, and Enforcing Your Last Testament
A will directs how your assets are distributed after death. Learn what wills can and cannot do, how to execute one correctly, and what happens if you die without one.
Living Trust vs Will: Key Differences in Estate Planning
Compare living trusts and wills in estate planning: probate avoidance, cost, privacy, asset control, and which documents you likely need regardless of which tool you choose.
Living Wills and Advance Directives: Controlling End-of-Life Decisions
A living will tells doctors what life-sustaining treatment you want or don't want if you can't communicate. Learn what advance directives cover, state requirements, and DNR orders.
Power of Attorney: Types, Scope, and When You Need One
A power of attorney authorizes someone to act on your behalf. Learn the difference between general, durable, springing, and healthcare POA—and the critical importance of getting one before you need it.
Power of Attorney Types: Durable, Medical, and Financial Explained
A complete guide to power of attorney types — durable, springing, medical, and financial — including when each takes effect, how to revoke one, and state-specific requirements.
Probate Explained: How Estates Are Settled After Death
Probate is the court-supervised process for validating a will and distributing an estate. Learn what goes through probate, how long it takes, costs, and how to avoid it.
Special Needs Trusts: Protecting Benefits for Disabled Beneficiaries
How special needs trusts preserve SSI and Medicaid eligibility for disabled beneficiaries, the three types of SNTs, ABLE accounts, and what happens to trust funds at death.
Will vs Living Trust: Probate Costs, Privacy, and Which You Actually Need
A factual comparison of wills and revocable living trusts: what probate actually costs, which assets bypass it automatically, and when a trust is worth the upfront expense.