8 Ways to Avoid Probate » (Seventh Edition)

Mary Randolph earned her law degree from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of The Executor's Guide: Settling Your Loved One's Estate or Trust, 8 Ways to Avoid Probate, Every Dog's Legal Guide: A Must-Have Book for Your Owner, and Deeds for California Real Estate. She is also a coauthor of the legal manual for Quicken WillMaker Plus. She has been a guest on The Today Show and has been interviewed by many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

8 Ways to Avoid Probate offers simple but effective methods to skip the entire process - plus real world examples of how others have used them. In the end, you'll understand

payable-on-death bank accounts
naming beneficiaries
using joint ownership of property
special procedures for small estates
creating a living trust
making gifts of property and money
and more

The 6th edition provides the latest estate and gift tax rules, and now includes a ninth method: Using transfer-on-death deeds to pass on real estate without probate.

Modern Maturity

Recommended.

Introduction - Thinking About Probate Avoidance
Chapter 1 - Set Up Payable-on-Death Accounts
Chapter 2 - Name a Beneficiary for Your Retirement Accounts
Chapter 3 - Name a Beneficiary for Stocks and Bonds
Chapter 4 - Name a Beneficiary for Your Vehicles
Chapter 5 - Hold Property in Joint Ownership
Chapter 6 - Create a Living Trust
Chapter 7 - Take Advantage of Special Procedures for Small Estates
Chapter 8 - Make Gifts
Chapter 9 - Using the eight ways