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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.

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.

What is probate? Probate, while usually referred to as any legal action to handle an estate, is actually the administration of a Will upon the death of an individual.

Unfortunately, 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 this. Or, commonly, younger people believe estate planning is too expensive for them to take on at this stage in their lives. Neither of these things are true!

Estate planning is especially important for people with blended families in the state of Texas. Without a Will, probate issues can be complicated and the result may not be what the deceased person might have wanted. If you have a blended family, here's how to provide for your estate to pass as you desire.

When a loved one passes away, the answer to the question, "Do I have to probate their Will?" is often, "It depends." Texas has several shortcuts or alternatives to full probate that you may be able to utilize to avoid a costly and lengthy probate procedure. These include Probate as a muniment of title and an Affidavit of Heirship.

Estate planning isn't just for rich or older individuals. Even young, single 20-somethings should start thinking about how their property will be distributed in the event of a tragedy. Drawing up an estate plan is not as much an action you need to take for yourself, but one you should take for your loved ones. There are 4 elements of an estate plan you'll need to draw up: a Will, a Statutory Power of Attorney, a Medical Power of Attorney, and beneficiary designations.

If you've listened to the news over the last two months, you've learned that the COVID-19 virus can strike just about anyone just about any time, regardless of how careful you are or how healthy you are. The initial presumption that COVID-19 was only a serious concern for elderly, otherwise health-compromised people has proven untrue. Because of that, I have received lots of calls from clients of all ages who suddenly realized it might be time for them to look at doing their estate planning.

Three key factors that go into making the decision of whether to incorporate or not are; Liability Protection For Personal Assets, Income Tax Pros & Cons, Business Management Pros & Cons.