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While your attorney will guide you through the process, arriving prepared can help you make thoughtful decisions rather than feeling pressured to come up with answers on the spot. It helps you consider who you want as secondary beneficiaries, agents, executors, and trustees. Additionally, it gives you time to think about whether you want to place special conditions on your beneficiaries receiving their inheritance, especially if they are minors.

Prenups may be beneficial to a couple marrying, whether or not they are rich and famous. They are not just a contingency plan for a possible divorce. In fact, prenups can be an important tool for your estate plan, particularly if you have children from a previous relationship or more property going into the marriage.

Preparing a Will is a smart, compassionate, financially wise, and easy thing to do. So, stop making excuses, and do it! Anyone who has been through settling an estate for a loved one who failed to make a Will can attest to how much they would have preferred the alternative.

One of my biggest pet peeves over the years has been the over-selling of living trust packages to folks doing their estate planning. There are definitely times when a living trust is a good estate planning tool. However, for many individuals, a living trust is an unnecessary expense.

If you have ever gone through a hospital admissions process, you've likely been asked if you have a living will (also known as a directive to physicians) and a medical power of attorney. Here are the main benefits of both—and why they're worth the investment.

How soon must a Will be probated after death? In Texas, generally a Will must be filed within four years after the date of the death, but I encourage you to do it sooner rather than later. Neglecting to probate the Will can leave you in a more painful situation in the long run.

A widely-held belief about probate is that it is long and expensive. That is often not the case. How long it will take and how much it will cost depend on a number of factors. In most cases, it is not a lengthy or horribly expensive process.

Have you selected successor beneficiaries on your life insurance, retirement accounts, investments, and bank accounts? Now is a good time to double-check. Choosing a successor (or secondary) beneficiary allows you to take steps to ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes, whatever the future may hold.

The right estate planning attorney will have the skills to handle your legal needs and a personality that puts you at ease. By taking the time to evaluate their experience, communication style, and approach to your case, you can choose a partner who will help you draw up an estate plan that perfectly fits your needs and wishes.

It's all too common for parents to put off estate planning to protect the settlement of their estates for the loved ones left behind because they don't believe they are old enough to think about it yet. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Estate planning is even more necessary for young parents, as it allows them to choose a guardian for their children and set the terms for when their estate will be divided, should the unthinkable happen.