Everyone knows that losing someone close is hard, but no one ever tells you how much work is involved after a family member passes.
Maybe it isn’t mentioned because it feels insensitive and trite to complain about paperwork, or perhaps those who experienced it went through the weeks and months in a daze without—really processing what was happening.
The latter is dangerous – if you don’t know what to expect and how to navigate the bureaucracies after a death, you could leave money on the table or set yourself up for even more work down the road.
Luckily, some more complicated and involved processes have the most significant infrastructure and resources available, so you aren’t flying blind through the legal system while emotionally distraught.
Probate is a long, involved, and commonly-needed legal process– but few other functions are as well documented as probate navigation, especially California’s probate law.