What is Probate, and Why Does Everyone Want to Avoid It?

Probate is the legal process of transferring assets from a deceased individual's name to their beneficiaries. This process can be lengthy, expensive, and complicated. Therefore, many Florida consumers seek ways to avoid probate altogether.

One of the primary reasons to avoid probate is the cost associated with it. Attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses can add up quickly and significantly decrease the value of the estate. Additionally, probate can take several months or even years, leaving beneficiaries without access to their inheritance during that time.

Another reason to avoid probate is privacy. The probate process is a matter of public record, meaning anyone can access information about the estate and its beneficiaries. This lack of privacy can be a concern for some individuals who wish to keep their financial matters private.

The most obvious way to avoid probate is to gift assets to others during your lifetime. By gifting assets to beneficiaries before death, the assets are no longer part of the individual's estate and therefore do not go through probate. However, it's important to consider potential gift tax implications and consult with a tax professional before making significant gifts. However, if you want to retain ownership until your passing, here are 5 popular ways to avoid probate:

1. One way to avoid probate is through the use of beneficiary designations. Assets such as retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and annuities can be designated to specific beneficiaries, bypassing the probate process altogether. It's important to regularly review and update beneficiary designations to ensure they reflect the individual's current wishes.
   ‍
2. Joint ownership is another way to avoid probate. If an asset such as a home or bank account is owned jointly, it will automatically pass to the surviving joint owner upon the other owner's death. However, it's important to note that joint ownership can come with potential risks and complications, such as creditor issues and disagreements between joint owners.
   ‍
3. Revocable living trusts are a popular way to avoid probate. These trusts allow individuals to transfer assets into the trust during their lifetime, with the ability to modify or revoke the trust at any time. Upon the individual's death, the assets in the trust are distributed to the named beneficiaries without going through probate.
   ‍
4. Another way to avoid probate is through the use of transfer-on-death or payable-on-death designations. These designations can be used for assets such as bank accounts, investment accounts, and even ownership in a business. The designated beneficiary receives the asset directly, bypassing the probate process.
   ‍
5. Finally, an enhanced life estate deed or “Ladybird Deed” is a useful tool when the primary asset of a person’s estate in terms of value is real property. An Enhanced Life Estate Deed (ELED) is a deed that transfers an interest in real estate to another person but allows the grantor (the current owner) to retain substantially all control over the property – including the right to sell, mortgage, lease, and alter the property, and even to terminate the enhanced life estate deed’s devise altogether. Upon the owner (then called the “life tenant”)’s passing, the property will automatically revert to the grantor (then called the “remainderman”), thus avoiding probate.
   ‍

In conclusion, avoiding probate can save time, money and provide privacy. Beneficiary designations, joint ownership, revocable living trusts, transfer-on-death or payable-on-death designations, small estate procedures, gifting, and consulting with an experienced attorney are all viable ways to minimize or eliminate probate.

In order to find out what probate avoidance tools may be useful for you, seek the advice of an experienced attorney who can understand your goals and help you achieve them in the most efficient manner possible.