Common fears about probate are mostly wrong, but families who skip estate planning still end up paying lawyers and waiting on courts.

• Probate is just the court process that settles who gets your assets after you die — the state does not seize them, and it does not create extra taxes.
• The real cost is paperwork: strict court rules mean most families hire an attorney, and those fees add up.
• A revocable living trust lets a successor trustee hand out assets without going through probate at all.
• Hawaii also allows a transfer-on-death deed, which names who inherits your property directly.
• The quickest fix for anyone: check that retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts all name both a primary and a backup beneficiary.

Outlook: Anyone who owns a home or has young children should set up a plan while healthy, since options narrow once a crisis hits.