Executive Summary: Even with a valid will, you can accidentally disinherit someone by naming the wrong beneficiaries on financial accounts or giving full control to a surviving spouse. Avoiding that requires intentional planning through trusts, wills, and coordinated beneficiary designations. Most people don’t disinherit loved ones on purpose. It usually happens by accident through decisions that seem fine in the Read More

Executive Summary: Your executor, trustee, and agents need to know you’ve made a plan and where to find it. Your kids or beneficiaries should be aware that a plan exists. Whether to share the details depends on your family’s dynamics, but being clear one way or another helps avoid future problems. You’ve done the responsible thing. You made your estate plan. You picked the right people to handle things, signed the Read More

Executive Summary: In Texas, most property acquired during a marriage is shared equally by both spouses. This affects what passes through your estate, what your spouse automatically keeps, and how your plan needs to be written. If you want your estate plan to work the way you intend, community property laws need to be part of the conversation. If you're married and live in Texas, community property laws apply to Read More

Executive Summary: The first 30 days after someone passes are key to getting probate started. Locate the will, order death certificates, secure property, gather documents, and notify the right institutions.  When someone you love passes away, the last thing you want is paperwork. But if you’ve been named the executor, there are legal steps you’ll need to take, many of them sooner than you might think. It doesn’t all Read More

Executive Summary: A muniment of title is a simplified probate process available in Texas for estates with a valid will and no unpaid debts (except a mortgage). It allows for fast asset transfers without the need to appoint an executor or open a full estate. Most people assume probate always means court hearings, legal delays, and a long checklist of paperwork. That’s often true, but not always. If someone dies Read More

Quick Answer: You can probate a copy of a will in Texas, but it’s much more complicated than using the original. The court assumes the will was destroyed on purpose, so you must prove otherwise with witness testimony and clear evidence. It’s possible, but takes extra steps and preparation. You know your loved one had a will. Maybe you even saw it once. But now that it’s time to settle their affairs, you can’t Read More

If you’re the type of person who takes care of things on your own, it’s tempting to think you can handle your own estate planning. After all, there are plenty of free templates online. You can download a will in five minutes, use an AI tool to draft a power of attorney, and even find checklists that walk you through the steps. But just because something is easy to access doesn’t mean it’s correct, or legally Read More

If you’re in charge of settling a loved one’s estate, you’ve probably got a full plate, especially if you don’t live nearby. One of the most common questions people ask is: Can probate be handled remotely in Texas? The short answer is yes, most of it can. In fact, in many cases, you don’t need to be in the same city or state as the court handling the probate. Texas courts have made significant changes in recent Read More

If you've just gone through the loss of a parent or are trying to plan ahead to avoid putting your kids in a tough spot, there's one topic that often flies under the radar: out-of-state property. It's not something people usually think about when writing a will, but it can create extra court cases, extra stress, and extra costs for your family after you're gone. Whether it's a vacation home in New Mexico, a rental Read More

Once the last tax form is signed and filed, most people are ready to put finances on the back burner. But this is one of the best times to check in on your estate plan. You’ve already reviewed your income, assets, and accounts. Let's take it further and ensure everything aligns with your current wishes. A lot can change in a year. Your income may have gone up. You bought a house, opened new accounts, or added a new Read More