The questions we get asked most.

It depends on what you own and how it's titled. A will alone sends most estates through Colorado probate: usually six months to a year, public record, and not free. A revocable living trust avoids probate, but only if your assets are actually retitled into it. Most clients with real estate, retirement accounts, or kids end up with a trust-based plan; some don't need one. We'll walk you through the math.

Colorado's intestacy laws decide for you. Your assets go to a default order of relatives that may or may not match your intent, and they get there through probate. If you have minor children and no will, the court appoints their guardian. Most people, when they hear the default rules, decide they want to override them.

A light review every three to five years, plus any time you have a major life event: marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, a death in the family, a move out of state, or a significant change in net worth. Our existing clients get a complimentary review every five years.

You can. The forms those services produce are usually valid. The problem is that the form is the easy part. The hard part is knowing which decisions to make, and an online service can't walk you through that. We see fixable mistakes from DIY plans almost every week. Sometimes they're fine; sometimes they cost the family six figures.

A Colorado POA can be drafted to take effect either immediately on signing or only on disability (a springing POA). Those are the two options, and each has trade-offs. Colorado POAs do not carry a statutory expiration date, but banks and brokerages increasingly resist accepting documents more than roughly seven years old. If yours is approaching that window, it's worth refreshing it before you actually need it.

Informal probate is the default for uncontested estates with a clear will. It's mostly paperwork, with minimal court involvement. Formal probate involves a judge, hearings, and notice requirements; it's used when the court has to make a determination, such as heirship, an unclear will, or a petition that requires statutory notice. Most of the cases we handle are informal. If a case turns into a true contest, we refer that work to a probate litigator we trust.

After the personal representative publishes notice to creditors, the creditor window closes on the later of four months from first publication or one year from the date of death, whichever occurs first. Most uncontested probates close within nine to twelve months. Formal or contested probates can run two-plus years.

Yes. This is most of what we do for ancillary probate clients. We handle Colorado-side filings, court appearances, and asset transfers; you stay involved by phone and email. You don't need to fly back for the probate itself.