When the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin died last year, it was believed that she hadn’t prepared any kind of estate plan, including a last will and testament. However, a few months ago, three handwritten wills were found in her home near Detroit. Two were in a locked closet and one was stuffed beneath the cushions of a couch!

Transfer on death (TOD) accounts can keep your estate planning intact, while keeping your beneficiaries out of court. If you’re among the 57% of adults who don’t currently have a will or trust, your family is likely headed to probate court.

Parents’ instincts to protect their children can cause them to hold back on some important truth-telling about the kind of inheritance they might expect, but that could be a big mistake.