ESTATE PLANNING
Estate Planning For Individuals
And Business Owners
Your intentions mean nothing without a plan that puts them in writing. We build estate plans for individuals and business owners, so nothing is left to chance.
Plans For Individuals
An estate plan does two things: it protects you while you're living, and it carries out your intentions after you're gone. Select any document below to learn more.
While you're living
Your legacy
Most plans combine documents from both sides. We'll help you choose the right ones.
Last Will & Testament
A will identifies who inherits your property, who handles your estate, and any specific instructions you want carried out.
Trusts
A revocable trust (also called a living trust) lets your estate settle privately, without probate or court involvement. It tends to make the most sense when:
- your beneficiaries are minors or have special needs,
- you own property in more than one state, or
- you want a private and smooth transition after death.
An irrevocable trust trades flexibility for something no will or revocable trust can offer: protection. Assets placed in one are generally shielded from creditors and certain legal claims.
More about how trusts work
Because a revocable trust bypasses probate, your affairs stay out of the public record and your beneficiaries receive what you left them faster and with less disruption. It costs more upfront than a will, but for the right situation, the difference is worth it.
An irrevocable trust can also be structured to provide long-term care for a loved one with special needs without affecting their eligibility for government benefits.
Every trust plan we build includes pour-over wills, the deed work needed to fund the trust, and a walkthrough of how to keep it funded as your life changes.
Powers of Attorney and Directives
A will only takes effect after death. If illness, injury, or cognitive decline leaves you unable to speak for yourself, your family may have no legal authority to act on your behalf, and a court proceeding may be the only way to give someone that power. Three documents give the people you trust legal authority to step in without the need for a court proceeding:
- A Durable Power of Attorney designates someone you trust to manage your finances, pay your bills, and handle legal matters if you cannot.
- A Medical Power of Attorney designates someone you trust to make medical/healthcare decisions when you're unable to make them yourself.
- A Directive to Physicians (also called a living will) puts your end-of-life wishes in writing while you still have the capacity to express them.
We draft each one to reflect your specific wishes, and provide your agent with a guide outlining their duties and powers so they're prepared to act when the time comes.
Plans For Business Owners
Your business is an asset. Make sure your plan treats it that way.
If you own a closely held business (a partnership, LLC, corporation, or family business) your estate plan has to account for what most wills overlook: who keeps the business running after you are gone? Without a succession plan, there is an inevitable gap between the moment of death and when your executor gains legal control. Without a will, that gap widens considerably, and the business pays the price.
Succession works best when it is planned years ahead. We coordinate your estate documents with your governing documents, resolve conflicts between them, and make sure a death or incapacity triggers a clean outcome rather than a dispute between your partners and your spouse.
Let's talk about your business →Planning For A Child With Special Needs
If your child receives Social Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid, or will someday, a direct inheritance can disqualify them from the benefits they depend on. A special needs trust avoids this by supplementing their benefits instead of replacing them, and ensures any money left for their care is managed by a trustee of your choosing.
We build special needs trusts, coordinate them with your will, and help ensure your child's care continues exactly as you intended, even when you are no longer there to oversee it.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Without a will, Texas law makes decisions for you. Your property passes by a statutory formula that can split assets between a surviving spouse and children in ways that surprise most families, and your heirs may need a court proceeding just to confirm who is entitled to what. A will puts those decisions back in your hands.
-
Yes and here is why. Beneficiary designations control what happens to specific accounts like retirement funds and life insurance policies, but they do not cover everything you own. Property, vehicles, bank accounts without a designated beneficiary, and personal belongings all pass through your estate and without a will, Texas law decides what happens to them. There is also another risk: if a named beneficiary predeceases you and you never updated the designation, that asset may end up in probate. A will works alongside your beneficiary designations to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
-
For most families, a carefully drafted will is enough. A trust makes sense when your circumstances warrant it, including keeping your affairs out of court, protecting a beneficiary with special needs, or managing property across multiple states. The first meeting is where we figure out which one is right for you.
-
It depends. Texas is a community property state, which affects how married couples' assets are owned and distributed, and out-of-state powers of attorney and medical directives may not meet Texas statutory requirements or contain the specific language Texas institutions expect to see. That gap rarely surfaces until someone tries to use the document, and that is not the moment to discover it needs updating. Having your documents reviewed after a move is what keeps them from failing when they're finally needed.
-
Yes and sooner rather than later. Divorce does not automatically remove a former spouse from your will or your beneficiary designations in Texas, which means your ex could still inherit if you do not act. Remarriage brings its own complexity, especially if either spouse has children from a prior relationship, since your current plan may not reflect your new family structure at all. A change in marital status is one of the most important triggers for an estate plan review, and it is one of the easiest things to put off until it is too late.
-
It depends on how the business is structured, but in most cases, the answer is not good. Without a plan, there may be no one with the legal authority to pay employees or keep operations running while your estate is being sorted out. If you have a partner or co-owner, your share may pass to your heirs rather than to them, creating an unintended and unwanted business partnership between your family and your colleagues. The business you spent years building can lose value quickly when there is no clear succession plan in place. An estate plan that accounts for your business ensures the right person has the authority to act without delay.
“We’ll figure it out later” isn’t an estate plan.
The hardest part of estate planning is starting. Two or three meetings, a flat fee known up front, and your plan is signed and done; often finished faster than the time spent dreading it.
Already have an estate plan? It might be outdated. Several changes warrant a review of your estate plan, especially a marriage or divorce, a birth or adoption, a move to Texas from another state, starting or selling a business, a significant inheritance, or the death of someone named in your documents.
Or call us: (281) 868-8806