Facing probate creditors while grieving tests even the calmest families. Some collectors call daily, others file aggressive lawsuits, and a few slip inflated invoices into the mailbox. As personal representative, you guard heirs from those tactics. By mastering Texas claim priorities and using the tools the Estates Code provides, you…
You share a mortgage, two dogs, and a life, but you never signed a marriage license. In Texas, that choice carries serious probate consequences. When one partner dies, the survivor may face costly court battles with distant relatives unless you plan ahead. Understanding how intestacy rules treat unmarried partners helps…
When a loved one dies owning real estate in Texas, you usually expect months of probate. Yet Travis County courts offer a streamlined path called a muniment of title that can transfer property in weeks instead of seasons. You qualify only if the estate has no unpaid debts, but when…
You can settle some modest estates quickly if you lean on a Texas small estate affidavit. When the estate owns little more than a checking account, a vehicle, and a few personal items, waiting months for full probate feels wasteful. In Dallas County, the small-estate process lets you skip hearings,…
A limited-liability company operates under an operating agreement that often restricts transfers to protect remaining members. When an owner dies, that agreement may require a vote, a buy-sell valuation, or a specific waiting period before heirs can receive economic rights. Executors who overlook these clauses risk breaching fiduciary duties or…
Stock options, restricted stock units, and employee stock-purchase plans form a major slice of compensation at Austin tech firms. Each grant carries unique vesting schedules, expiration dates, and tax treatments. Executors must determine whether unvested options accelerate at death and how to report them for estate-tax purposes. Misreading plan documents…
Homes along Lake Travis and Barton Creek often feature boat docks, easements, and submerged-land leases that complicate title work. Appraising these properties requires more than checking comparable sales, because lake levels and shoreline setbacks influence value. Executors must address riparian rights, which govern water access and usage, before transferring deeds…
Serving as executor looks straightforward until real work begins: securing property, filing inventories, paying debts, and keeping meticulous records. Family members balancing careers and caregiving may lack time or expertise, risking missed deadlines that incur court fines. Emotional ties can cloud judgment about asset sales, especially when a family home…
Smartphones, hard drives, and cloud accounts store value far beyond family photos. Cryptocurrency wallets can hold six-figure sums, and NFTs sometimes trade for more than downtown condos. Digital art also carries copyright rights that affect future royalties. Unlike traditional property, these assets are invisible during a walk-through of the deceased’s…
Real estate, mineral interests, and timberland located outside Texas are governed by the laws of the state where the property sits. Dallas families who own cabins in Broken Bow, farmland in Arkansas, or production wells in Louisiana cannot transfer those assets with a Texas-only probate. Ancillary probate—an additional court proceeding…