Harvey Cox Can your Texas home pass to your children without probate? Transfer on Death Deeds and Lady Bird Deeds may help, but choosing the wrong deed can create ownership problems. Learn how these deeds differ, what happens if a beneficiary dies first, and why your family’s circumstances matter.
Greenwood is a reminder that families cannot assume the legal system will automatically protect what they built. Here is what Texas families can learn about ownership, authority, and estate planning.
Having a will does not necessarily avoid probate in Texas, and not every asset goes through probate. Understanding how wills, beneficiary designations, deeds, account ownership, and Texas property rules work together can prevent costly misunderstandings for families.
Many assets pass by beneficiary designation, not by will. A year-end review can help Texas families catch outdated retirement, insurance, and transfer-on-death designations before they create problems.
Aretha Franklin’s estate shows that a handwritten will can be legally valid and still leave a family with years of uncertainty. Here’s what Texas families should know about handwritten wills, conflicting instructions, and clear estate planning.
The person you trust most may be the right executor or trustee, but trust isn’t the only qualification. Consider organization, judgment, follow-through, recordkeeping, and the ability to handle family disagreements before making the choice.
Leaving everything outright to a surviving spouse may provide security but does not guarantee an inheritance for children from an earlier relationship. Learn how Texas second-marriage planning can address both goals.
Prince died without a will, creating years of estate administration. Texas families can learn an important lesson about intestacy, probate, beneficiary designations, and planning ahead.
If you die without a will in Texas, state intestacy law determines who inherits your probate property. Learn why a surviving spouse may not receive everything and how blended families can be affected.
A will does little to solve incapacity problems while you are alive. Learn the three Texas estate-planning documents retirees should consider for medical, financial, and end-of-life decisions.