How Can an Estate Plan Distribute My Property Quickly?

A : You want your beneficiaries to receive promptly the property you've left them as part of your estate plan. Options include: gifts made before you die; insurance or pension benefits paid directly to them as the named beneficiaries; a living trust; using expedited will probate available in many states for smaller estates; and taking advantage of laws in certain states that provide partial payments to beneficiaries while the estate is in probate.

Estate planning can also minimize expenses by keeping the cost of transferring property to beneficiaries as low as possible. For example, choosing a competent executor for your estate and giving the executor the necessary authority to carry out your directives can save money and simplify the administration of your estate.

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