the.com/probate

The government double-checks you're actually dead before freeing your stuff.

means The legal process by which a court validates a will and oversees the distribution of a deceased person's estate.

from From Latin probare, 'to prove' or 'to test' — the same root behind 'probe' and 'probable.' A probate court is literally a proving-ground: it proves the will is genuine before anyone touches the inheritance.

average duration
6 to 18 months, sometimes years
cost
often 3 to 7 percent of estate value
avoidance tool
living trusts skip this entirely
public record
your finances become public once you die
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