Estate planning remains a gap for many Americans. In 2025, Caring.com conducted a Wills and Estate Planning Survey and found that 24% of people have a will. According to the same survey, only 13% have a living trust.

The number of deaths is also indicative of how many families may require future estate settlement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2024, the latest year for which statistics on deaths are available, 3,072,666 people passed away in the United States.

Probate is how a person’s affairs are settled after they die. When heirs or beneficiaries do not disagree about the deceased person’s will, the estate, or the distribution of assets, the process is considered a non-contested probate case.

A probate case may not be contested, but there is still work to be done.…