5 Reasons You Need a Will
Preparing a will is one of the easiest things you can do to have an estate plan and peace of mind. Unfortunately, too many people don’t prepare one and die intestate (without a will). You may not realize that when a person dies without a will, the state decides what happens to their...
Estate Planning for Those With More Than $100,000 in Assets
Many events in our lives, such as buying a home or having children, cause us to consider if we should prepare an estate plan. Often, once individuals acquire assets above $100,000, they seek the advice of an attorney. A typical estate plan involves a will, advance directives, and in some cases, a...
Understanding Texas Special Needs Trusts
Like many other states, Texas allows people to create special needs trusts that can provide financial help for people with disabilities. There are strict rules on how to set up a special needs trust and limitations on how the trust assets can be used. If these rules get violated, innocently or otherwise,...
Estate Planning for Blended Families: Pitfalls and Solutions
Blended families are the norm now, and these situations can make estate planning more complicated than the “leave it to Beaver” fantasyland. It is already tempting for many people to procrastinate about making an estate plan, but when you throw in the obvious emotional entanglements inherent in blended families, it is easy...
The Risks of Being a Trustee & How to Avoid Common Pitfalls
Although a person might feel as if they “won” because they got named to serve as the trustee of a relative’s trust, they often feel differently when they realize the massive amount of work involved. Also, they seldom understand the potential liability they face in that position. Just because you were named...
What is a Small Estate Affidavit?
Probate is the process of transferring a person’s property after their death. If the person has a Will, the court oversees the distribution of the person’s assets to the heirs named in the Will. The probate process can be lengthy, time-consuming, and costly in some situations.
However, some...
Four Reasons Your Will May Be Contested in Court (How to Protect Your Will From Unhappy Relatives)
Your will represents your final wishes for how you would like your remains and property handled upon your passing. Often, what we want does not make all of our loved ones happy and leads to discord. You may be anticipating this could be possible in your situation. In that case, our
How Long Does Probate Take in Texas?
After a close relative dies, there is often a whirlwind of activity like making funeral arrangements, notifying people, looking for your deceased loved one’s important papers, and the many other tasks that must get taken care of when someone dies in Texas. When you locate the will, another series of events will...
Should You Set Up a Revocable Living Trust?
If you want to get your financial matters organized and protect the future of your loved ones, you might be considering a revocable living trust.
This article answers some of the common questions about these documents. A Texas estate planning attorney can answer more of your questions...
Do You Want Your Children to Live Extravagantly?
You have worked hard and managed to accumulate a tidy sum of money. As you think about setting up your estate plan, you might want to consider how inheriting a substantial amount of money could help or hurt your children. As a popular book series has cautioned for over 20 years, receiving...