Mary Randolph earned her law degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law. She is the author of The Executor's Guide: Settling a Loved One's Estate or Trust, 8 Ways to Avoid Probate, and other books about law for nonlawyers. She has been a guest on The Today Show and has been interviewed by many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more.
Articles By Mary Randolph
Thanks to independent administration of estates and small estate procedures, Texas has simple and efficient probate.
Take care of your family by making a will, power of attorney, living will, funeral arrangements, and more.
Probate is the court-supervised process of gathering a deceased person's assets and distributing them to creditors and inheritors.
Worried about challenges to your will after your death? Depending on where you live, you may be able to ask a court to rule, in a “living probate” proceeding, that your will is valid now, while y
A surviving spouse is exempt from Nebraska inheritance tax, but other inheritors might have to pay.
Close family members are exempt from New Jersey inheritance tax, but other inheritors might have to pay.
State laws control who inherits property if no will exists. Learn the general guidelines.
If you’re concerned that you or a loved one is developing dementia, consider creating a power of attorney, health care directives, and other estate planning documents.
Kentucky, like other states, exempts close family members from inheritance tax; others will likely have to pay.
You can deduct charitable contributions from your taxable income—if you follow IRS rules about documenting your gifts.