Seguin Estate Planning Law Blog

Thinking about end-of-life wishes often brings about mixed emotions. Still, Texas residents need to closely consider estate planning and creating wills so that their families will know those wishes. If parties do not make plans, state law will intervene, and a greater chance of dispute may come about.

Creating a will can go a long way in ensuring that the likelihood of conflict is lessened. However, challenges are still a possibility, and individuals may want to take extra precautions when making their plans. For instance, it is wise to carefully choose the person who will act as executor for the estate. Some individuals may think that they have to choose a close family member, but really, parties could choose professionals to act in this role to ensure that that the necessary skills are present.

When a celebrity passes away, it is common for information regarding his or her life and death to come into public light. In particular, several famous and wealthy individuals have died without having created an estate plan. Estate planning can benefit surviving family members in many ways, and without it, complications could easily result.

Aretha Franklin is the most recent celebrity to pass without having a will or trust in place. Individuals in Texas will certainly want to avoid this type of scenario as this lack of information may not bode well for their families. In particular, if parties, like Franklin, have special needs children, creating a special needs trust could prevent those children from obtaining a financial windfall that could negatively impact their ability to qualify for needed government benefits.

Texas parents often have a number of responsibilities that they need to address. Most of those tasks involve caring for their children themselves, but they may also find themselves needing to consider a time when they may not be able to care for their kids. It is an unfortunate reality that parents, even new ones, can suffer incapacitating or even fatal injuries or illnesses. Because no one is immune, it is wise for parents to start estate planning.

An estate plan can help parents detail how they want many affairs handled. For instance, if a person suffers a serious medical event that leaves him or her incapacitated, the decisions regarding that parent's care should not be left up in the air. Fortunately, parents can use a health care proxy in order to have someone in charge of medical decisions, and they can also appoint a power of attorney agent to handle financial needs of the kids.

Many people may have a number of reasons to put off thinking about their end-of-life affairs. For some, they may feel intimidated by the estate planning process, and they are not alone. It is common for people in Texas and across the country to feel that creating an estate plan will be too hard, but fortunately, that does not have to be the case.

Estate planning can take time. After all, individuals have a considerable number of personal aspects to consider. However, when it comes to creating a will and using other planning tools, parties do not have to feel put off by the fact that they do not understand what the documents may encompass. There are several types of professionals -- such as financial planners and attorneys -- who could help interested individuals understand their circumstances and how planning tools could work for them.