Articles
Can You Avoid Probate By Having A Living Trust?
Can you avoid probate by having a living trust? (please also see Do I Need A Living Trust) Well yes and no. Yes, for all the assets that you actually place into the trust you can avoid probate for those particular assets. For example, you could deed your house to the...
Your Estate Planning Documents During A Crisis
Here are some things to think about in regards to your estate planning documents during a crisis. The most recent example of a crisis that affected all of us was in 2020 and 2021 when COVID was in the depths of causing physical harm and financial havoc around the...
What’s The Difference Between A Will And A Power Of Attorney?
What’s the difference between a Will and a Power of Attorney is yet another question that I often get from people who contact me. People often confuse what each document can and cannot do for them. I've even had a few people tell me that they thought they were the...
What’s The Difference Between A Will And A Living Will?
What’s the difference between a Will and a Living Will is another question that I often get from people who contact me. Even though they may ‘sound’ very similar, they are actually very different documents that take care of very different issues. A Will is a document...
Can My Power Of Attorney Take Care Of My Assets When I Die?
“Can my Power of Attorney take care of my assets when I die?” I get this question fairly often. And even more often than that, as I am talking to people about their estate plans I learn that many of them incorrectly assume that their Power of Attorney will still work...
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late To Make Your Will
Don’t wait until it’s too late to make your will. And this also goes for updating your will. Sure, life can get really busy, making it easy to put things off. And I think it’s somewhat human to be in at least partial denial to the fact that one day every single one of...
How Long Does It Take To Create A Will?
“How long does it take to create a will?” is a question I get all the time. Perhaps they are really busy with work and family, and they just don’t have much time to deal with such things, even though they are of course really important. Or perhaps they’re about to go...
Do I Still Need A Will If I Get A Trust?
“Do I still need a will if I get a trust?” is a question that I get often when people approach me about getting a living trust created to help take care of their estate planning needs. Although living trusts aren’t necessary in Texas as much as in some other states,...
DO NOT Sign Documents Without Speaking With A Probate Attorney First
This may sound obvious to most people, but do NOT sign important documents related to an inheritance without speaking to a probate attorney first. Unless some sort of fraudulent activity has occurred in order to get you to sign, once you’ve signed the documents you...
The Differences Between Probate And Non-Probate Assets
Whether you have a will or not, you are most likely to have both probate and non-probate assets. In fact, I like to tell clients there are basically two "buckets" of assets – one for probate assets and and one for non-probate assets. Probate assets pass through your...