Many people that I meet with for the first time feel happy that they have a will and have taken care of their beneficiaries. If your only estate plan is to have a will, you are, in my opinion, doing it all wrong. By only having a will as your estate plan, you are saying – probate my assets, charge me at least 3% for the honor, and while you are at it, tell the whole world what I have. I have a better solution for you.
Make sure that you have listed not just primary, but also contingent beneficiaries on your retirement plan and life insurance.
Any accounts that you have that are not retirement accounts can have a designation such as Pay on death, Transfer on death, or I.T.F. These designations will allow you to avoid probate.

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