Wills | Trusts | Estate Planning | Probate | Guardianship
Thoughtful
Estate Planning
= Peace of Mind
Estate Planning Attorney in Grapevine, TX
Convenient. Virtual. Service.
Planning for your family’s future doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful. In Grapevine, TX, we make estate planning simple and accessible, offering personalized solutions like wills, trusts, and asset protection strategies tailored to your unique needs. To make the process even easier, we provide convenient virtual consultations, so you can plan from the comfort of your home—no traffic, no hassles. Let us help you secure peace of mind and create a lasting legacy for your loved ones.
“Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy, it’s for everyone, everyone who wants to protect their family and prepare for the future".”
Our Comprehensive Estate Planning Services in Grapevine, TX
Wills
Your will contains your wishes regarding the disbursement of your funds and property to entities after your death. This can be either living beings or organizations. The law say living beings because people can choose to leave sums of money to their pets. In addition, you get to pick who gets custody of your children should you have any. Depending on where you live in Texas, there may laws in place that dictate how your assets get disbursed if a will does not exist, but the chances of those disbursements aligning with your wishes are slim. While it's true that having a will won't solve every possible scenario after your death, it will be a strong indicator of your desires. As a legal document, it will be the "go-to" for your wishes.
Probate
Probate is the technical term for the process of validating and adjudicating your will. The first step is usually proving that the will is genuine. Most of the time, this isn't difficult. However, in certain situations, court involvement may be necessary, and in those instances, we are here to advocate for you and provide the support you need every step of the way. Through probate, your assets will be verified, and any outstanding debts, including taxes, will be settled. Afterward, your heirs will receive the remaining assets. To avoid lengthy legal disputes and ensure your estate is preserved, we can help you plan effectively and protect your legacy. We want you to have peace of mind during the whole process, and we'll work hard to help you achieve that.
Trusts
A trust is like a will with a referee. You pick a person, or organization governed by a group of people, to administer your assets in the manner you congruent with your wishes. So, rather than distributing the assets directly to the beneficiaries, the trust consolidates all of your assets into a single pool, which the trustee(s) disburse according to your instructions. In addition, trusts protect your assets from unscrupulous relatives while protecting your beneficiaries by keeping them from potentially misusing the assets. There are two basic kinds of trusts: revocable and irrevocable. We can help you address which trust is best for your current needs.
Estate Planning
To ensure you have something to pass on to your heirs and to protect it from being diminished during probate, careful planning is essential. When it comes to estate planning, we can advise you on fundamental strategies for building your estate. There's the "investment triangle," the three sides of which are growth, safety, and income. You can only ever have two of the three. We'll give you the necessary guidance to maximize your strategy for having enough to provide for your family.
Areas of Practice
Probate refers to the legal process of administering a deceased person's estate. The court reviews the will to determine if it is valid and provides a final ruling on the division and distribution of assets to heirs and beneficiaries based on the will. If a person dies intestate, or without a will, the court divides the estate according to state law. LEARN MORE
A guardianship typically involves the appointment of someone to manage the medical and physical care of a person with limited capacity such as a special needs child or a person with physical or intellectual disabilities. A conservatorship is a court order that appoints someone to oversee the financial affairs of a minor or a person who is incapacitated. One person can serve in both roles. LEARN MORE
A will and last testament form the foundation of an estate plan and are the key instrument used to ensure that the estate is settled in the manner desired by the deceased. While there is more to an estate plan than just a will, it is the presiding document the probate court uses to guide the process of settling an estate. LEARN MORE
Like a will, a trust provides for distribution of assets based on the deceased’s wishes. But unlike a will, a trust can protect assets from creditors and avoid taxes and the cost of probate. It can provide for control and future direction of assets long after the deceased person’s passing. Special needs trusts can permit a disable child or parent to receive income from the trust while still retaining public disability benefits like Medicaid. LEARN MORE
Everyone has an estate, it’s everything you own, your home, your accounts, your cars, and you probably have very specific ideas where and to whom you want your money to go after you pass. Because if you don’t, the state will be very happy to tell you exactly where your money will be going, and you and your heirs may not like it. Take charge of your estate. LEARN MORE
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Warren Buffet
Control How Your Wealth Is Distributed
With estate-planning documents, you can even stipulate each dollar if you wanted to. You can leave some people out, ensure others' college educations, give people places to live, etc. With our help, this is all within your control. If you act, then others will decide who gets what, and the basis for those laws may not resonate with your wants.
Why Choose MaryAnn Jones as Your Estate Planning Attorney in Grapevine TX?
MaryAnn has 30 years' experience as an estate-planning attorney. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from U.C.L.A. and her Juris Doctor from the Beasley School of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She's a Mom as well as a lawyer, so she brings her own estate-planning experience to the table. Through that experience, she can empathize with the possible problems and fears that go along with looking into the future unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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One of the things you have to do when you craft a will is to name an executor. This will be the person who works with the attorneys and other authorities regarding the implementation of the provisions of your will. Of course, there are some legal bindings on the person who is the executor.
The short answer is: If it seems like a bad idea, then it's probably on the list of what's disallowed. This can include using the funds of your estate for personal gain or "taking a salary" for the work done as executor. The person's also not allowed to shirk the duty of proper accounting or make a profit on any business dealings that happen with the estate. For example, the executor isn't allowed to charge a business named as a beneficiary for making sure the business gets your bequest. The person you choose to be executor is not allowed to refuse the duty for spurious reasons either. -
Yes, a beneficiary can be the executor in the State of Texas. In fact, many jurisdictions in the state encourage beneficiaries to be executors because they're usually quite familiar with the person's wishes, thus streamlining the process.
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As stated, the executor is not allowed to ignore the accounting responsibilities, so the answer is "yes." By showing all of the accounting, the executor will both demonstrate good faith and show the beneficiaries just what is in the estate. That way, there won't be any arguments about hidden money, frozen assets, or similar topics.