What do you think of when you hear the words “estate plan”? For most people, estate planning brings to mind wills, trusts, and perhaps the probate process. There are, however, many other tools available to you in Houston, Texas, when you create your estate plan. Here, we outline five of them that you should consider discussing with an estate planning attorney.
1. A Pet Trust
In the age of COVID-19, many of our clients brought pets into their homes and into their families. Through a pet trust, you can set aside money that will specifically go towards caring for your pet after your passing.
2. An Ethical Will
If you have loved ones that depend on you for advice and guidance, you can consider writing an ethical will. This document leaves words of wisdom for those you’ve left behind, and while not legally binding, it can be a treasure that these beneficiaries keep forever.
3. Funeral Preferences
If you have preferences about the kind of funeral you would like to have, you can include this in your estate planning documents. You can list songs to sing, funeral location, ideas for readings, and other personal touches you want to make sure your loved ones include in your funeral.
4. Vehicle Transfer Provisions
If you have a car that you’d like to pass along to a loved one, you can create a document that will transfer that vehicle to that loved one immediately upon your death. The vehicle can then avoid probate and more become quickly available to your chosen beneficiary.
5. End of Life Care Provisions
Sometimes, difficult decisions at the end of a person’s life leave loved ones stumped and distressed. If you have instructions regarding life support, pain management, and/or decision-making authority, you can include those preferences in your estate planning documents.
To learn more about these possibilities (and more), reach out to an estate planning attorney that can help you think through the estate planning tools that might work best for you and your personal circumstances. While the process can feel complicated and daunting, it can be made much simpler by having an expert on your side with your best interests at heart.
Do You Have an Estate Planning Attorney in Texas?
Here at McCulloch & Miller, the best part of our job is getting to know our clients and helping them meet their goals through estate planning. We are proud of the thorough, personalized, holistic approach we take to our work, and we are standing by to talk about your estate plans with you. For a consultation with a Houston estate planning lawyer, give us a call today at (713) 333-8900. You can also fill out our online form to tell us about yourself and have an attorney reach back out to you.