Yes. Assets can be transferred by a person before they die. That is called estate planning and you should seek the advice of an attorney who specializes in that area of law. Once a person has died their estate must be probated if they owned probate assets such as bank accounts, investment accounts and real estate.
That is the purpose of going into probate. It allows assets to be legally transferred.
If you have a revocable trust, you generally do not need to go through probate court for the assets held within the trust upon your death. The assets in the trust can be distributed directly to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the trust, bypassing the probate process. However, any assets not transferred into the trust may still require probate. It's important to ensure that all intended assets are properly funded into the trust to avoid probate for those items.
Not if there are no assets at all. A will is simply a document that transfers a persons property to other persons after death. If there are no assets to be transferred, then there is nothing for the will to do.
Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.
Probate assets are part of a deceased person's estate that go through the probate process, while non-probate assets pass directly to beneficiaries outside of probate. Probate assets include property solely owned by the deceased, while non-probate assets include assets with designated beneficiaries or joint ownership.
If you have a lot of assets a trust may be a better choice. Dividing the assets after death will probably be easier, and you may be able to legally avoid some taxes. Basically with a trust you avoid the involvement of probate court. Even with a will, probate court is involved.
Annuities with designated beneficiaries typically avoid probate because they pass directly to the named beneficiaries upon the annuitant's death. This can help to expedite the transfer of assets and avoid lengthy legal processes. It's important to keep beneficiary designations up to date to ensure assets pass to the intended recipients.
One can avoid probate in Pennsylvania by creating a revocable living trust, designating beneficiaries on accounts and assets, establishing joint ownership, and utilizing payable-on-death accounts and transfer-on-death deeds.
No, an executor of a will cannot distribute assets before probate is completed.
Property in probate is maintained by other assets in the estate or by the heirs if they want to keep the property when there are no other assets that can be used for maintenance.Property in probate is maintained by other assets in the estate or by the heirs if they want to keep the property when there are no other assets that can be used for maintenance.Property in probate is maintained by other assets in the estate or by the heirs if they want to keep the property when there are no other assets that can be used for maintenance.Property in probate is maintained by other assets in the estate or by the heirs if they want to keep the property when there are no other assets that can be used for maintenance.
No, it is not generally necessary.
You can't legally not pay the debtors if there are assets. It is one of the primary purposes of having probate, to clear up all debts. Only if the estate doesn't have the money to pay them can it be avoided.