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In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy that apply in the state where the deceased resided at the time of their death.
The probate court will then oversee the process of distributing the deceased's assets to the proper beneficiaries. A probate court can be petitioned by interested parties in an estate, such as when a beneficiary feels that an estate is being mishandled. The court has the authority to compel an executor to give an account of their actions.
After executing a trust agreement, the settlor should ensure that all assets are properly re-registered in the name of the living trust. If assets (especially higher value assets and real estate) remain outside of a trust, then a probate proceeding may be necessary to transfer the asset to the trust upon the death of the testator.
As the assets aren't considered a part of your estate, they sidestep the probate process. It also lets you continue to use assets transferred into the trust, such as property or investments you own.
Another burden is Virginia’s rare probate tax of $1 per $1,000 of assets, which can mean thousands in extra costs. Furthermore, the entire probate process is public, which can open your estate ...
The good news: There's a lot of competition for your business; Stinson knows attorneys who'll draft a will for less than $200. ... a trust is to avoid probate. If you don't transfer assets into ...
After the testator has died, an application for probate may be made in a court with probate jurisdiction to determine the validity of the will or wills that the testator may have created, i.e., which will satisfy the legal requirements, and to appoint an executor. In most cases, during probate, at least one witness is called upon to testify or ...
The problem with using a will to pass assets down to your children is that wills are subject to probate, which is the often-complicated process of proving a will’s validity in court.