by Keith Hajovsky | Jun 12, 2024 | Estate Administration, Intestate - Dying Without A Will, Probate, Wills
If someone dies without a will, where do their assets go? As I mentioned in my blog piece, Why Do I Really Need A Will?, one of several reasons you should have a will in place is that if you die without a will in Texas then state law forces the courts to use very...
by Keith Hajovsky | May 22, 2024 | Estate Administration, Intestate - Dying Without A Will, Probate
If someone dies without a will and certain specific criteria are met, then a small estate affidavit can be used to take care of an estate. You can still apply to the court to probate an estate without a will, but it’s usually much more time consuming and expensive to...
by Keith Hajovsky | Apr 17, 2024 | General Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts, Wills
If you have life insurance or plan to buy some, then you should definitely discuss it with your estate planning attorney. Whether you have the payout on the policy go directly to an individual beneficiary, to your estate, or to a trust, life insurance plays a...
by Keith Hajovsky | Apr 10, 2024 | Estate Administration, General Estate Planning, Living Trusts, Probate, Testamentary Trusts, Trusts, Wills
An executor and a trustee play very large and important roles in your estate plan. But what’s the difference between an executor and a trustee? Knowing what their roles are can help you make better choices for these positions. An executor is the person you name in...
by Keith Hajovsky | Mar 27, 2024 | Non-probate Assets, Probate, Wills
Life insurance is often a significant part of someone’s estate. So does life insurance pass through a will? The short answer is that usually proceeds from a life insurance policy pass directly to whomever was designated as the beneficiary or beneficiaries on the...
by Keith Hajovsky | Mar 20, 2024 | Estate Administration, General Estate Planning, Probate, Wills
Are handwritten wills legal in Texas? Handwritten wills, also know as holographic wills, can be legal in Texas if written properly. It can be better than not having a will at all. But it’s certainly not the best way to have a will. For a handwritten will to be legally...
