8 Ways to Avoid Probate

By Mary Randolph

Book Overview

Want to save your family money and hassle? Read this book

Probate court proceedings after a death can drag on for a year and cost tens of thousands of dollars in attorney and court fees--money that would otherwise have gone directly to your loved ones.

Here are easy, effective ways to skip the probate process:

name payable-on-death beneficiaries for financial accounts own property jointly leave real estate with transfer-on-death deeds use a living trust name the right beneficiaries for IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and use probate shortcuts for small estates.

Completely updated, this edition includes the latest state laws on probate avoidance methods, such as transfer-on-death deeds. The book also covers current estate and gift tax rules under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1413325130
• ISBN13: 9781413325133
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: NOLO
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

8 Ways To Avoid Probate

Lots of good advice on how to make sure that as much of your estate as possible passes directly to your beneficiaries without the obscene legal fees and delays that the probate process usually entails. A little planning and work now can save many hours of headaches for those you leave behind, and also give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you have taken care of things.

There are choices

Book gave various ways to accomplish avoiding probate. Good explanations. As far as I'm concerned, valuable information.

If you live in Texas read this

I have perused several books on this topic and found this one to be much more informative about how Texas laws are very unique in regards to avoiding probate. In fact, most other books don't even mention this. It seems that for every one of these avoidance techmiques, the TX laws are very different in very specific ways and if you don't have everything done according to the letter of the TX law, you could end up with big problems. For example, only in the state of TX do you have to sign a separate written agreement with just the right language and other specifics in order for right of survivorship to actually work in avoiding probate. Not many people are aware of this and even most of the bankiing institutions are unaware. Even the big banking institutions will tell you that their methods are valid and correct when, in fact, they are not. Several cases have gone to the TX Supreme Court because of this. Don't let it happen to you. It is a huge problem. This book educates you on every issue and how it has to be handled differently in different states.

wonderful read

I just recently used this book as part of my study to gain continuing professional education credits for my CPA license. I found it to be an excellent source for anyone who is currently planning his or her family's financial future. It's easy to understand, direct, and written with common-sense language. I will be recommending this book to my clients.

8 Ways to Avoid Probate by Mary Randolph

I rate this book very highly. It was very informative and easy to follow. Each section covered the topics to the fullest. This book is very easy to understand and I would recommend it to anyone looking for answers on how to avoid probate and how to go about making a living trust. There are many books on the market about this subject, but I feel this book covers it all.