What Do You Do With Your Houston Estate If You Have No Heirs?

Today, with smaller families and more women choosing not to have children, “the dynamic has changed pretty significantly for the generation of baby boomers. The option of doing something charitably significant with their estates is a change,” he said.

The New York Times recently touched on the subject of estate planning without a family.  It is an important topic for those without future generations to inherit their assets. If this issue affects you or someone you know, then be sure to read the article titled “In Estate Planning, Family Isn’t Always First.”

In the beginning and in the end, estate planning is always about disposing of your assets. Both in popular imagination and in the laws on the books, this commonly means the how and why of giving it to family members. Nevertheless, even with no lineal heirs to inherit your assets, there remains important decisions to be made. Optimistically, this means the sky is the limit.

Many elect to give to charity, and as the original article describes, this can be an ever more important life-choice and period of growth for you, and especially for a childless couple. You see, many see “family” as their only legacy. However, through philanthropy you can choose your legacy. To do so well and to really appreciate your choices can take some planning. In the end, however, the time and treasure required to get your estate planning done right is worth the satisfaction and peace of mind it affords. To build the right plan will take both competent counsel and a bit of soul searching, to be sure.

For additional information on charitable giving and estate planning in Houston, please visit my website.

Reference: The New York Times (May 2, 2014) “In Estate Planning, Family Isn’t Always First”