Estate Planning Services

Estate planning involves determining how an individual’s assets will be preserved, managed, and distributed after death. It also takes into account the management of an individual’s properties and financial obligations in the event that they become incapacitated. Assets that could make up an estate include houses, vehicles, stocks, art, collectibles, life insurance, pensions, debt, and more.

Writing a will is one of the most important steps. But there’s so much more to do. Other major estate planning tasks include the following:

• Limiting estate taxes by setting up trust accounts in the names of beneficiaries
• Establishing a guardian for living dependents
• Naming an executor of the estate to oversee the terms of the will
• Creating or updating beneficiaries on plans such as life insurance and 401(k)s
• Setting up funeral arrangements
• Establishing gifting to charitable and nonprofit organizations to reduce the taxable estate
• Setting up a durable power of attorney (POA) to direct other assets and investments

What is an Estate Plan?

An estate consists of everything you own – your home, real estate, personal property, vehicles, checking and savings accounts, life insurance, retirement accounts, as well as other assets.

Having an estate plan is the best way to ensure that your loved ones are cared for during difficult times. At Bacarisse Law, our estate planning lawyers will work closely with you to draft a customized plan that addresses your specific needs, desires, and concerns.

We offer comprehensive estate planning services from creating a Will for the first time to updating your current estate planning.

Our services include:

Are there surprises lurking in your plan?

In a time of great uncertainty, there is so much that is out of our control. But one thing that is – or at least should be – in your control is your estate plan. However, estate plans can become outdated, which can lead to unpleasant surprises for heirs. Proposed tax policy changes further complicate the estate planning process and underscore the importance of revisiting your plan now to avoid any unintended consequences. In a new report, we identify common problem areas that, unfortunately, our experts see all too often, including:

• Parents who are surprised by the amount of wealth going outright to their children, particularly when they might not be prepared to manage it
• Trust provisions that do not align with more contemporary goals like supporting entrepreneurship or environmental/social investment objectives
• Unforeseen complications with passion assets, such as vacation homes or art collections, which are difficult to value, hard to sell and expensive to maintain
• Unused lifetime gift tax exclusions or generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemptions
• Closely held businesses, private equity investments and real estate accompanied by hard-to-pay estate tax bills

Need to Speak to a Houston Estate Planning Attorney?

At Bacarisse Law, we pride ourselves on offering outstanding, individualized legal service in all aspects of estate planning, Will drafting and Trust preparation. Our Probate and Estate Planning law firm is dedicated to being extremely responsive and committed to help you achieve the goals and results you want and need.

To speak with our Houston estate planning attorneys who can guide you through this process, call (713) 623-1029 or contact us online today.