Probate is a long and ugly process that is expensive. If you have an opportunity to get a trust in place, that is the ideal situation.
Probate starts upon death. All creditors need to be notified.
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I've seen probate last a year. I have seen probate last seven years. Just depends.
Originally Posted by Fizley
Fizley and Carpenter are right. Plus probate settles an estate. When you want investments and payouts to go on for a while it is best use a trust that is set up before you die. A trust can go on for the life of the beneficiary plus about 17 years (I think, but would have to look up). A trust can have many things deposited in it, such as company stock and many other investments such as stocks. It is a nice way to pay out benefits over time to a loved one with little to no expenses.
A Trust has to be funded. Poor Michael Jackson had a trust set up bet it was never funded: thus, his estate items still in his name had to go through probate.
A trust also keeps most thing out of the eye of the public. If you think that your information is not the business of others, select a Trust, revocable or non-revocable.
Recently I bought some property that was owned by a revocable trust. The lady, her husband before her, and her husband's mother before that had had the property owned by a trust for over 40 years.