For purposes of the probate court, there are two different types of property. The first is “non-probate” property, which includes assets like life insurance policies, 401(k) plans, joint deeds of trust, and other assets with named beneficiaries or automatic survivorship rights. The unique feature about this non-probate property is that it passes to a beneficiary outside the court system when the owner of the asset passes away. All other property is considered “probate” property. Probate property must pass through the probate court upon death of the owner. It is important to understand that property as simple as a checking account can end up as either type of property, depending on the structure of the account.