To Avoid Probate, Use Trusts for Estate Planning How revocable and irrevocable trusts ensure assets go to beneficiaries without them having to endure the long, expensive and public process of probate.

A probate file is thus a primary source of information, which means it contains records that are usually reliable. Records in a probate file are kept in a packet.

Just having the skills and experience to do the job isn't enough. The probate attorney you hire needs to have the right temperament for your particular case.

Do retirement accounts go through probate? Discover how beneficiary designations work -- and how to keep IRAs, 401(k)s & annuities out of probate. Learn now.