Probate—The Terrible, Horrible, No-good Side of Estate Planning

Probate can drain time, money, and privacy. Here’s why it creates headaches—and the smart moves that help you avoid it.

Probate is the formal legal process that proves a will’s validity and allows a deceased person’s assets to be distributed. Dreamstime/TCA

By Maurie Backman From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Wills have long been utilized as a classic estate-planning tool. But it’s not enough to write up a will and call it a day. Once someone with a will passes away, a court needs to validate it via a process called probate. And that process could be more than you’ve bargained for.