Book excerpt: Probate court proceedings after a death can drag out and cost tens of thousands of dollars in attorney and court fees-money that would otherwise have gone directly to your loved ones. This topselling guide shows you the most effective ways to skip the probate process: name payable-on-death beneficiaries for financial accounts, own property jointly, leave real estate with transfer-on-death deeds, use a living trust, name the right beneficiaries for IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and, use probate shortcuts for small estates. Completely updated, this edition includes the latest state laws on probate avoidance methods, and covers all the estate-related impacts of the recent changes to federal rules on retirement distributions. In Nolo.com's Wills, Trusts & Probate center you'll find even more help from the experts at Nolo: hundreds of valuable articles and FAQs, useful legal forms, And if you decide you'd like a lawyer's help, you can visit our other sites, Lawyers.com and Avvo.com, for free, in-depth profiles of lawyers in your area.