Austin Wills and Trusts Attorney – A Practice you can Trust with your Life

Planning life for when you’re gone isn’t something anyone wants to think about, but it’s important. Life is unpredictable and your loved ones will suffer if you don’t plan what happens to your estate when you’re gone. Even if you’re young and healthy, planning your estate now is one of the best decisions you can make.

The best thing you can do for everyone in your life is plan your estate and construct a will that’s effective and will help everyone through the difficult time of losing you.

It’s not fun to plan what happens when you’re gone but when you have a qualified Austin wills and trusts attorney by your side, you know that everything will be handled right and with ease.

Our Areas of Expertise

You need an Austin wills and trusts attorney that offers the services you need to handle your affairs when you’re gone. You want someone with compassion and who will take the time to understand your situation and what you want to happen.

No two situations are the same, which is why we offer services tailored to your needs, not a cookie cutter offer, giving everyone the same will and trust no matter their circumstances.

We provide the following services:

• Wills – A will is a legal document that tells the courts who will take care of your children and where your assets will get distributed. It’s a legally binding document when drawn up correctly and can affect your family’s fate when you’re gone, so you want a will that’s written with the right language and includes the right information.

• Trusts – A trust is a third party that has control of your assets according to your wishes upon your passing. Assets held in trust often don’t have to go through probate and can often be excluded from estate taxes, ensuring your loved ones get a larger portion of your estate without having to wait months or years for probate to clear.

• Living will and power of attorney – If you were to be unable to make your own medical or financial decisions, a living will would appoint someone to make these decisions for you and a power of attorney would allow your appointed person to sign documents for you.

• Probate and estate administration – If your loved one already passed and the estate is in probate, we can help see you through the process with as little stress as possible, ensuring you understand each step, how long it will take, and what you can do to speed things along.

Why Consider Estate Planning?

You might wonder why you’d spend the time or money creating an estate plan. Once you’re gone, your family can handle your estate, right?

It seems like it would be that simple, but there are laws in place that keep your family from accessing your estate until it’s gone through probate. 

If you have assets in your name only and you only have a will, your estate will go through probate. This means it will go through court to ensure the will is valid and that all beneficiaries and creditors are paid from the estate.

The court appoints one personal representative to handle the process and it can take months to complete.

With proper estate planning, though, you’ll realize several benefits:

• You might save your beneficiaries and total estate from excessive estate taxes
• You have some certainty over your assets and how they’ll be distributed
• You and your loved ones can enjoy your time here without worrying about financial stressors
• You are in control

Which Assets Don’t go Through Probate?

With a good Austin wills and trusts attorney, you’ll understand the difference between assets that go through probate and those that are exempt. Most people have at least some assets that could be protected in a trust or that can handle the probate process, but the following assets usually don’t go through probate:

• Transfer-on-death bank accounts
• Real estate owned jointly
• Life insurance policies
• Retirement accounts
• Any assets in a trust

Without a qualified wills and trusts attorney, though, you wouldn’t know what would and would not go through probate. Your family could be taken advantage of or just not understand what they have immediate rights to and what they may have to wait to use. 

Avoiding Estate Planning can be Expensive

It might seem like it’s the other way around. You might think you’re saving money by not estate planning, but you’re actually losing money that way. When you plan a proper estate with an Austin wills and trusts attorney, you set your estate up for the least amount of tax liabilities and the easiest access.

You need an attorney that understands the Texas laws when it comes to planning your estate and distributing it upon your death so that everyone walks away with peace of mind and the memories you held together.

Hire the Best Austin Wills and Trusts Attorney Today

Don’t’ try to navigate the system alone. It’s confusing and overwhelming. Let an experienced Austin wills and trusts attorney go over your assets, understand your wishes, and help you put together the best estate plan that minimizes taxes and penalties and gives your loved ones fat access to your estate.

You likely have many precious assets that mean more to you than just money – we understand the sensitive nature of going over your estate and making plans for things like guardians for your children or pets, handling your home, and managing your funds.

With the best wills and trusts attorney on your side, you can relax, enjoy life, and know that if the unexpected were to occur, your family is in good hands with us. Contact us today at (512) 528-1900 to get started!