Express your love beyond Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is all about love and affection for our spouses, partners, and significant others. Take care of them in your estate plan.

Dying without a will prevents some unmarried partners and others from inheriting from you. Die without a will and Section 201 of the Texas Estates Code, not you, decides who inherits your property. This leads to several surprising and undesirable outcomes. For example, stepchildren don’t automatically inherit from a stepparent. More shocking, unmarried partners do not inherit from their significant other in the absence of a will.

You love these people so consider making them a beneficiary of your will. A beneficiary is a person you designate in your will to receive property when you die. If you’re married, you can designate beneficiaries for your separate property, acquired before marriage, and your half of the community property obtained during marriage. Your spouse keeps their share of the community property. If unmarried, no community estate is created. Your significant other won’t automatically inherit the property you may have acquired together. Fix this by naming your significant other as a beneficiary of your will.

Dying without a will can create conflict. Your will makes your wishes known. Without a will, loved ones are left guessing what you intended to do with your property. This can lead to conflict among family members. This frequently occurs in blended families. Avoid this conflict by clarifying your wishes in a will drafted by an experienced Texas estate planning attorney.

If you find yourself caught in conflict surrounding estate related matter, contact a local, experienced, probate and litigation firm for advice. Many times, an experienced firm can help resolve the conflict and help preserve those family relationships.

Timothy Wilson is an attorney at Hammerle Finley Law Firm, a boutique law firm offering services in estate planning, probate, guardianship, business law, litigation, and real estate. Contact him at (972) 436-9300.

This article does not constitute legal advice.

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