Tarrant County Estate Planning

If you do not have a will in Texas, the state will decide how your property is distributed according to the rules of intestate succession (Estate Code Title 2, Subtitle E, Chapter 201, Subchapter A).

By having a will, you determine how your property is distributed and to whom. That’s not the only advantage:

• Set your intentions about the division of your property
• Provide for stepchildren and others that would be left out by intestate succession
• Determine who will care for minor children
• Reduce family conflict after your death
• Trusts are another essential planning tool. An advantage of trusts is that they cannot be contested in court.

Other advantages of a trust include the following:

• Trusts are private (wills are public record after your death)
• Trusts are active the day they are created
• Revocable trusts can be revised
• Irrevocable trusts cannot be revised but are best in certain circumstances
• Assets in a trust are protected from probate
• An estate plan often includes a trust as well as a will.