Depending on the state, the probate and administrative fees can eat up five to ten percent of the gross estate. Not only is probate costly in money, but it is also costly in the amount of time it takes to complete the process. The average probate can take from nine months to two years. During that time your heirs will have to wait to receive their complete inheritance until, at last, the probate is concluded. While we all like to think of our affiars as being a private matter, the probate process airs all our laundry for anyone to see.
Probate is a public process.
This means that anyone who chooses, can go to the courthouse and see exactly how much you had and who you left it to. Many salesmen use the probate files to obtain leads. The final estate challenge is estate taxes. The tax man cometh. Even in death the long arm of the government, both state and federal want a piece of what you have accumulated.