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When someone dies, particularly if there’s no will, property sales and the disposal of all of their other assets are handled by a probate court, whose mandate is to get the highest possible prices.

The probate process gets a bad reputation, but it's the reality many families will face, and it's a process that can function well for some small estates. Probate is the court-supervised proceeding in ...

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 ...

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 ...

Always name a beneficiary for your accounts so that your heirs can skip the probate process Matt Webber is an experienced personal finance writer, researcher, and editor. He has published widely on ...

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 ...

When planning your estate in Washington State, one of the most common questions is whether to use a Revocable Living Trust (RLT) or a Will. Most are curious because of the horrors they hear or the ...

Selling a home you inherit can trigger capital gains taxes, though you might not owe anything if you sell right away. If you live in the property for a couple of years before selling, you might be ...