If your estate plan consists solely of a will, or you don’t have an estate plan at all, your estate will most likely end up in probate court for all to see publicly.

Probate is the legal process where the probate court administers the deceased person’s estate and ensures the estate is distributed to heirs via the instructions in the will or by state law if there is no will.

Probate is a public process. This means all documents and information about your assets, creditor claims, beneficiaries, and personal representatives becomes a matter of public record; anyone who wants to access your probate court file, including the details of your will, has the ability to do so.

The good news is that with the proper estate plan, you can avoid probate and keep your assets and finances private after you die.

Kendal Law Group offers fast, effective, estate planning to make your customized estate plan both easy to prepare and extremely responsive to your needs.