Avoiding Probate

Simplify the Settling of Your Estate

Avoiding Probate in North Carolina

Having your estate go through probate is not the nightmare it is sometimes portrayed to be. In most cases, though, it is an unnecessary burden on your heirs that does prolong and complicate the settling of your estate. Armor Trust Attorneys have assisted hundreds of families in avoiding probate through careful trust planning and drafting of wills.

Contact our Raleigh, North Carolina, law firm today at (919) 571-4398 to learn how to skip the probate process and expedite the distribution of assets to your survivors. Our lawyers offer over 25 years of experience in estate planning and probate law, serving Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties.

Probate Avoidance Strategies

There are distinct advantages to circumventing probate, and it is perfectly legal to do so. The estate administration process is sped up by many months, and the executor does not have to report to the court at every step. Moreover, probate is an open, public proceeding whereas avoiding probate enables private transfer of wealth.

Avoiding probate is most easily achieved by a beneficiary designation. Beneficiary designation is a tool for transferring assets such as annuities, life insurance proceeds, bank accounts, or retirement funds directly to heirs. Without such a designation, those assets must go through probate. Placing assets in a revocable living trust is another way to avoid probate. This instrument essentially probates your estate while you are alive, identifying assets and declaring who will get them at your death. A qualified attorney can draft the trust, fund it, and properly coordinate the transfer of family assets into it.

For a deeper discussion of ways to avoid probate, contact our Raleigh office at (919) 571-4398 to schedule an appointment at your convenience.