Not so fast, at least in some states. I have gone through this with both my parents. In one case, I needed a death certificate to even get access to the will.

Not so fast, at least in some states. I have gone through this with both my parents. In one case, I needed a death certificate to even get access to the will. (It was held by a lawyer, and at least some lawyers won't let just anybody see the will. I had to prove that I had the right to see it, which meant a death certificate plus being an executor on the will.) With the will and a death certificate, I went to a bank. They wouldn't tell me anything about the account - not even the amount in it - because I hadn't gone through probate. Well, in that state, I didn't have to go through probate if the estate was less than $100,000. But without knowing how much was in the account, I didn't know if I needed to go through probate! They finally "bent the rules" enough to tell me that, yes, there was enough there that I needed to do probate. So I applied for probate, which cost $500, and was a slam-dunk because nobody contested and the will said I was the executor. And then the bank would talk to me. Joint accounts or a trust are much smoother.