Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew F. Erskine is a trusts and estates attorney. Probate is a term that often sends shivers down the spine of those unfamiliar ...

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 ...

Greg DePersio has 13+ years of professional experience in sales and SEO and 3+ years as a writer and editor. skynesher / Getty Images Though your will is not public during your lifetime, after you die ...

What is probate? Probate is the legal process for reviewing, managing and distributing someone’s estate after they die. The purpose of probate is to verify the validity of your estate plan. It ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She ...

Probate refers to the legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person. This process can take anywhere from a few months to a couple of years, depending on several factors such as the size ...

Q: My mother died in January 2023. My sister is the executor of her estate. When I enquire about what is going on with the probate, she gets hostile and says it's in probate court and she's waiting to ...

If you’re an active real estate buyer, at some point you’ll likely come across a probate sale. Properties sold in probate court can be a good deal, as they’re often priced lower than other homes. But ...

The loss of someone close is an upsetting time that can be stressful and confusing from the start. In addition, when the aftermath involves settling an estate, the chaos seems to go from bad to worse.