From the very beginning, our mission at Trust & Will has been to further empower American families in continuing their legacies. Until now, we have provided support in all things estate planning.
Starting this October, Trust & Will members will have the option of enrolling in our latest plan option, Probate. Keep reading to learn more about why we decided to include Probate in our offerings, how it furthers our mission, and what it can do to support families who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Learn more about Probate by Trust & Will
What is probate?
Probate is a legal process that addresses the administration of your estate after you pass away. Whether or not you decide to put a Will in place, most of your assets and property must pass through probate before they can be distributed to your heirs. There are certain exceptions, such as assets with beneficiary designations, property with survivorship rights, or assets transferred into a Trust.
During the probate process, both your heirs and creditors are notified. Taxes are files, debts are paid, and any claims and contests are addressed. At the closing of probate, the remainder of your estate is eventually distributed to your loved ones.
The probate process exists in the American state legislature for valid reasons. First, it serves the purpose of determining rightful heirs and ensuring they receive their inheritances. It also ensures that entitled entities receive payment from the estate, such as tax bureaus or consumer creditors. Last but not least, the probate process appoints important roles such as Guardians and Conservators who are given the critical duty of taking care of loved ones in your absence.
At the same time, however, the probate process is incredibly hard.
Families are forced to go through an arduous legal process riddled with unfamiliar jargon and uncertain outcomes, all while grieving the loss of a loved one. Further, it can risk acute stressors such as family disputes, or worse, lawsuits. Last but not least, the probate process can take years and decreases the value of the estate. Not only do heirs have to wait a long time to receive their inheritances, it could be much less than they expected. This can be pretty devastating when you’ve worked your entire life to build up a legacy to pass down to your loved ones. It brings about undue stress during a time of loss and grief that is already inherently challenging.
Enter: Trust & Will’s Probate
This is why Trust & Will is launching Probate.
Our mission is to help as many families as possible to build and leave a legacy for future generations. Until today, our products have solely focused on the estate planning side of things. In other words, members partner with us to co-create their estate planning documents during their lifetime.
We’ve spent years educating our members and the public on the challenges of the probate process. While you can control what you can by putting a strong Estate Plan in place, probate is what happens after you pass away. It’s what puts your Estate Plan’s efficacy to the test.
With the launch of Probate, including our Concierge and Attorney service tiers, we are supporting families such that they can get through the probate process as quickly as possible. Both members and their families will have a holistic support system from beginning to end, from estate plan creation all the way to the opening and closing of an estate through probate.
That way, members can have peace of mind knowing that they are taken care of. They will also have peace of mind knowing that their loved ones will also be supported such that they can get through the probate process as quickly as possible and focus on the grieving and healing process.
Breaking probate down into 4, easy to manage steps
If you’ve read any of our educational guides explaining the probate process, you’ll understand why many individuals go through great lengths to prepare for it and, when possible, avoid it altogether. Figuring out probate on your own can be overwhelming and time-consuming. If you’ve been nominated Executor in a loved one’s Will, then you suddenly find yourself with a number of new responsibilities; it’s essentially a part-time job.
By enrolling in Probate, members will have a much easier time getting through the probate process. We make this possible by breaking it down into four clear, manageable steps:
Open Probate
Notify Heirs and Interested Parties
Inventory the Estate and Debts
Close the Estate
Members will also select into one of our three Probate plan options depending on the size or complexity of their estate, along with the level of support they need.
Probate plan options
In most cases, the probate process takes a minimum of one year.
Our job at Trust & Will is to help you get through the probate process as easily and painlessly as possible, regardless of what your estate might look like.
Here, we offer 2 different plan options based on the level of support you think you need. Don’t worry; you can always upgrade to a different option later on if you feel that you need additional support. We also offer payment plan options to help accommodate any budget.
Probate: Concierge
Wanting extra support. Sometimes you can navigate probate on your own, but other times, it gets difficult and complicated when unexpected factors arise. Have peace of mind navigating the probate process with one of our Concierge team members by your side. You’ll be assigned a probate specialist to work with through the steps of probate.
Probate: Attorney
Our full-service probate plan will enable legal professionals to handle the probate process for you. If you feel completely overwhelmed by the probate process, or are dealing with an estate with complicated nuances that require legal assistance, you don’t have to go it alone. Put the responsibility probate into the hands of seasoned professionals who’ll take care of almost everything on your behalf.
Explore our probate plan today
We are honored to be able to bring this new Probate product plan option to our members and their families. If so desired, members can now plan their estates and navigate through the probate process from start to finish, all in-house with Trust & Will. Our passion is to break down complicated legal processes and make them more accessible to American families who would otherwise be disadvantaged. Not only that, we’re on a mission to make these products as affordable as possible. What you’ll receive is premium products and support at affordable rates. That way, your bottom line and thus your legacy remains protected as much as possible.
At Trust & Will, we’re here to streamline the estate planning and probate processes. Now you can have additional peace of mind knowing that your loved ones won’t have to navigate the probate process on their own. Take our free quiz to see where you should get started, or compare our different estate planning options today.
Is there a question here we didn’t answer? Reach out to us today or chat with a live member support representative!
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