What is probate, and how long and costly is it?

Probate is the court-supervised process of validating your will, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what's left to your heirs. An executor files the will, notifies creditors and beneficiaries, inventories assets, and gets court approval before final distribution. Timing varies widely: a simple estate may close in 6–9 months, while contested or complex ones run a year or more. Costs include court filing fees, attorney and executor fees, and appraisals — often 3–7% of the estate, depending on the state and complexity. Probate is also public record, so anyone can see what you owned and who inherited. Not everything goes through it: assets with beneficiaries, jointly titled property, and trust assets pass outside probate. Many states offer simplified or small-estate procedures below a dollar threshold. If avoiding the delay and cost matters to you, planning ahead is the lever.