Prompted by consumer outrage over the delays and high costs imposed by probate, courts, legislatures, and state governments have devised a number of ways for property to change hands after death without having to go through probate. If your family member doesn't have one or more of these methods in place, explain why she might want to consider them.
- Payable-on-death accounts: Also called Totten trusts, tentative trusts, and revocable bank account trusts, payable-on-death accounts allow those who own financial accounts to name specific beneficiaries to automatically take the remaining amount when they die. Banks, savings and loans, and credit unions all offer these accounts or can add named beneficiaries to an existing account at no extra charge.
- Named beneficiaries on retirement accounts: An entire generation of retirement accounts -- such as IRAs, Keoghs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s -- came into being while your relative was likely still in the workforce. Such accounts can specify a beneficiary and a backup to receive any remaining funds at death without requiring a court proceeding.
- Transfer-on-death registrations: A law called the Uniform Transfer-on-Death Securities Registration Act allows people to register an individual to take their stocks, bonds, and brokerage accounts at death, without probate, similar to a pay-on-death account. This simplifying law has been adopted in every state except Louisiana and Texas.
In a few states -- including California, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio -- a car owner can also register a vehicle so that a named beneficiary automatically takes title to it at death.
And laws in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio also allow real estate to be transferred through transfer-on-death deeds.
- Joint ownership: In most states, property will avoid probate if title to it is held jointly. When one property owner dies, the surviving joint owner or owners indicated on the ownership documents automatically get the deceased owner's share -- again, without involving the probate courts. Houses, large bank accounts, and other property of value are good candidates for joint ownership that avoids probate. However, the property will pass through probate when the last surviving owner dies unless he or she has taken steps to transfer it though some other probate-avoiding method.
Depending on the state and type of property involved, joint ownership is called "joint tenancy with right of survivorship," "tenancy by the entirety," or "community property with right of survivorship."
- Living trusts: Living trusts, also called revocable living trusts, were created for the express purpose of avoiding probate. The concept is simple: During life, property owners complete a declaration that transfers property such as real estate, stocks, and bank accounts to a trustee.
The trustee is often the same person who created the living trust -- and he or she remains free to use, spend, or sell it while alive. At death, the property in the living trust passes automatically to the person or people named as "successor trustees." A living trust operates much like a will, except that the property owner must go through the legalities of transferring ownership of property to the trust. The other important difference: Probate is not required when ownership of the trust property shifts to the successor trustee.
- Simplified procedures for small estates: Many state laws provide that a small amount of personal property can be transferred free of probate, or processed through a greatly simplified procedure. The definition of "small" varies widely among the states, from a low of $3,000 to a high of $150,000. Also, in some states, certain kinds of valuable property -- such as cars and real estate -- are excluded from the total.
You might have to do some sleuthing to find out the legal rules for your relative's state. Begin an Internet search by entering the name of his state and the terms court and probate in the browser. Be sure to go to the official court site, not one operated by someone trying to sell probate-avoidance services.
With the decline of my husband's health, as survivor, I have many ideas about providing secure transfers of money and property, upon my death, to our son.
My family and I used United Planning Group to set up our trust. We're very happy with their service and it was only a one-time, life-time fee. It included all of the settlement process as well after we pass on.
my mother signed power of attorney to my cousin and she had already been diaonise with dementia now my cousin is trying to sell everything i am the only child and without a lawyer iam losing the court will not listen to me and the court appointed lawyer doesnt have my mothers best interest at heart do you know of anybody that will help me before its too late
I have seen a lady have a Revocable Living Trust and her kids file some trumped up "dimentia" to the State/APS. Guardianship was assigned by the State. They immediately had her unable to access the money she has saved since her retirement. But it is wrong to be so generous to the amount of 75.00 a week as Her allowance. It is Her money not any of her kids Father had anything to do with the money has today. She wants her kids out of the situation, But She was days away from having the Trust modified to Her wishes before the children called APS and they immediately froze Her up. Have they succeeded in burying the ground?
simple outlining of the issues involved helped bring down my stress level, since I have to deal with my 82-year-old aunt who keeps delaying putting things in order for herself and her 61-year-old, mentally disabled son.
Hello nancyluc, Thank you very much for your question. If you'd like, you can post your question in our Ask & Answer section, here: ( http://www.caring.com/ask ). Good luck. -- Emily | Community Manager
I am the trustee of my fathers estate and he had several checking accounts and CD's - I accidently transferred one of his CD to his regular checking account instead of the trust checking which are at the same bank. I am co owner of the CD - am I going to have a problem putting the money in the correct Trust account so I can pay the family what the Trust says.. I am disabled and get confused easily but none of the other siblings would help me, I did all the care of my dad, doctors, dentist, grocery shopping and now I have this and I am scared that I made a big mistake and will cause the estate to go to probate the CD was 100.000 but I am a joint owner and we live in California. I can not sleep as I am so worried about this and afraid I did something terrible. It was such a huge job as I had my Dad for 5 years and became sick at the same time. Now once again I have this burden and just want to get everyone off my back. No one ever helped me only when they wanted to borrow money from the trust. Please if anyone is out there please answer me as it is making me ill. thank you and God bless you if you can ease my mind
I'm executor of my mother's estate which isn't much tho my brother & sis-in-law think so. They removed her stock certificates, deed to her burial plot, her prepaid funeral certificate and paid life insurance policies from her files before they abandoned her. They can't sell or get refunds from any of those without her preseance & signiture. They swindled from her what they were to inheirit and believe they'll try to use these documents as leverage to get more. Think the probate court will find that interesting?
riverside because of the economy funerals, memorial breakfast or brunch has to be paid in cash. i know they would not wait for any $ to come in. chica60 what i read so far the joint tenancy is the way to go upon death ywww
you just answered my question on my home car and boat joint tenancy with my daughter tyvmmm
My mom has been awarded guardian of the state of Texas. If she dies while under their guardianship, how will our family be able to arrange for the funeral and funds to pay for it?
My mother hired an attorney and he drew up a pay on death deed to transfer her house to my brother on her death and we went to her bank and she signed a form that her bank account to be divided equally between her four children upon her death. Would this be enough to avoid probate?