A living trust provides lifetime and after-death property management.
Probate is a court supervised legal process to transfer a person's assets after their death. It includes determining the validity of the decedent's will, gathering their assets, paying their debts, taxes, and the expenses of administration, and then distributing the remaining assets to those people named in the amounts designated. The survivors of the decedent must petition the probate court to have the will admitted to probate.
A Will is a legal document that allows you to designate whom you want to receive your property upon your death..
If you die without a Will, state statute will control the distribution of your estate. You will have no control over who will receive your property, who will be appointed guardian of your minor children, who will act as personal representative of your estate, and many other conditions that are governed by state law.