Estate Planning Attorney in Texas
It’s no easy feat to plan for your family’s financial future, especially when making financial plans for a situation in which you lose a loved one. It can be challenging to picture a future without those you love most, or even plan for your family’s future without you in it. However, having plans for any death in the family can put your mind at ease knowing that your family will be taken care of. There are so many small details required in order to create a smooth process after a death, and navigating the legal documents involved in estate planning can be very tedious and can be a huge burden to your family if done incorrectly. Because of the complexity and many tedious details involved in estate planning, finding a skilled estate planning attorney that is best suited to help you and your family plan for your future is incredibly important. If you are beginning to think about estate planning and believe you will need an attorney, read below to see how The Siddique Firm can best help you.
What is an Estate Plan?
An estate plan is a legal document outlining how one’s financial, legal, property, and other personal affairs should be divided and handled in the event of their death. When estate planning is overseen by professionals like estate planning attorneys, the documents outlining the handling of personal affairs are often considered legally-binding in a court of law and are less likely to be disputed by a challenging party. Typically, estate plans are for the distribution of large percentages of liquid assets to family members and are made up of multiple documents. The documents generally included in an estate plan are:
- Last Will and Testament: This particular document provides outlined instructions for how an individual’s last responsibilities will be handled. The author names an executor, who the author trusts and believes is capable of handling the outlined responsibilities. Following the establishment of an executor, the author lists their heirs and how their assets are to be divided. This document might also include important instructions on the burial and funeral as well as the forwarding of debts.
- Living Trust: Living trusts are when the author of an estate plan places all of their assets under the management of a trustee who handles the delegation of assets when the author passes.
- Power of Attorney: Otherwise known as a power of attorney decree, this is a mandate that gives a designated individual the authority to make legal and financial decisions on behalf of the author in the case that the author is incapable of making the decisions themselves.
Healthcare Proxy: Similar to the power of attorney, a healthcare proxy document gives a designated individual the authority to make healthcare decisions on the author’s behalf in the case that they are incapable of making the decisions themselves.
What Does an Estate Planning Attorney Do?
As you can see, there are many important documents that are typically included in estate plans. These documents are often complex and challenging to develop on one’s own without specific expertise in estate planning. Estate planning attorneys help guide you through this process, ensuring that all legally binding documents are properly developed, male sure that any decisions you make about trustees, heirs, or individuals who you will give power of attorney or healthcare proxy are made thoughtfully and with all information considered, and help advise the best way to distribute any and all assets. At The Siddique Firm, our estate planning attorneys understand the ins and outs of the estate planning process and are empathetic in dealing with discussing such difficult topics. Making sure your family has peace of mind when you pass is the best gift our estate planning attorneys can give you. If you are in need of an estate planning attorney or have any questions, please contact at 972-777-4878.