North Carolina has no transfer-on-death deed for real estate. A 2023 bill to create one died in committee. Here is what actually keeps a house out of probate.

A trust treated in its entirety as a grantor trust files no North Carolina return. For other trusts, a beneficiary living in the state is not by itself enough for North Carolina to tax undistributed income. What usually decides it is where the trustee sits and where the trust is administered.

A North Carolina revocable trust owns your house only after a deed to the trustee is recorded. What the deed costs, and what it does to the entireties ownership.

A decade-by-decade estate planning checklist from your 20s through your 80s, anchored to North Carolina law and the 2026 federal estate tax rules.

In North Carolina, you generally cannot fully disinherit your spouse. A surviving spouse can claim an elective share of 15 to 50 percent of your assets.

North Carolina does not let you create a will online. A new 2026 law lets your attorney store your signed paper will electronically so it cannot be lost.

Should you tell your children about their inheritance, and how much? A look at the transparency and privacy approaches and how to handle the conversation.

Moving to North Carolina from another state? Your out-of-state will is usually still valid, but several documents need a NC review. Here is what to check.

Moved to North Carolina from a community property state? Your community property does not lose its character at the border. Here is what changes and why.

Just moved to North Carolina? Most of your estate plan is still valid, but a few documents quietly stop working. Here is what a move actually changes.

A prenup and an estate plan can reinforce or quietly contradict each other. Learn how they interact under North Carolina law and why they must be aligned.

In North Carolina, revocable trusts can be changed and avoid probate, while irrevocable trusts are harder to alter but can protect assets and cut estate tax.

After you update your estate plan, what about the old will and trust? Learn what to keep, what to destroy, and why old documents cause real problems later.

In North Carolina, stepchildren do not inherit through intestate succession unless legally adopted. Learn how NCGS Chapter 29 divides an estate with no will.

Getting married changes your estate plan whether you update it or not. Here is the North Carolina checklist every newlywed couple should work through together.

Three OBBBA charitable deduction changes take effect in 2026, and they raise the cost of giving for Raleigh high earners. Here is how to plan around them.

Where to keep your will, power of attorney, and health care documents in NC, who needs to know, and how to make your plan easy for family to find.

In 2026, most North Carolina high earners owe no federal estate tax. The real issue is stepped-up basis and the income tax your heirs pay. Here is what to plan for.

How federal estate tax works in 2026: the $15 million OBBB exemption, portability mechanics, GST exemption, and the planning strategies that actually matter for estates above and below the threshold.

Late-life remarriage creates conflicts between a new spouse and adult children. See the prenups, QTIP trusts, and tools that protect everyone in NC.