Just because two people are married and share a home does not automatically mean they’re both the legal owners of that home.

Then extended family: If there are no parents or siblings, the estate might pass to grandparents, then to aunts, uncles and cousins. In our hypothetical cousin’s case, with no spouse, children, ...

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Q: I have been told that you can avoid probate without using a trust by registering your bank accounts a certain way. Is there any truth to this? A: With some clever planning, it may be possible to ...

1) the property owner (grantor) retains life estate while granting to someone else (grantee) the remainder interest, and 2) the grantor retains the legal right to rescind the remainder interest to ...

Learn about how trusts can avoid probate, the mechanism behind it, types of trusts, common misconceptions, and other probate avoidance methods.

Dying without a will lets state law decide who inherits Unmarried partners and stepchildren may be left out Surrogate’s court handles wills, estates, trusts and guardianships Most cases involve ...