Your Texas Wills, Trusts, & Estates Explained Simply

by Ashar, Linda C.

• ISBN13: 9781601384119
• ISBN10: 1601384114
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-30
• Publisher: Atlantic Pub Co
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Few people want to think about what would happen to their family if they become disabled or die; however, planning for these occurrences in advance will reduce potential stress on your family later in life. This new book will take the guesswork out of planning your estate and help you finally understand the complex processes.

Table of Contents

Introductions: Estate Planning: What Is It?	p. 9
Getting Started	p. 11
Estate Planning Simplified	p. 12
Everyone Dies: A Simple Statement, Complicated Implications	p. 13
Money Talk	p. 15
I Do What with All This?	p. 16
Here and Now	p. 20
What This Work Can Do	p. 25
What Exactly is Involved?	p. 26
Estate Planning Basics	p. 31
Debunking Myths	p. 33
Your Estate	p. 36
People	p. 38
Who Will Carry Out Your Wishes in Your Place?	p. 47
People of Influence	p. 54
Components of an Effective Estate Plan	p. 59
Legally Speaking	p. 60
Defining Your Estate	p. 64
Pass the Parchment	p. 64
Taxes	p. 79
Federal First	p. 80
Now for the State	p. 85
When, Not If, You Pay	p. 87
Wills	p. 99
Will Basics	p. 100
Wills Defined	p. 101
The ôOtherö Will	p. 109
People Speaking for You	p. 112
Change and Your Will	p. 114
Trusts	p. 117
What is a Trust?	p. 118
Types of Trusts	p. 123
Pros and Cons of Forming a Trust	p. 128
Insurance	p. 131
Insurance for Here and Now	p. 133
Insurance for After You Are Gone	p. 142
Varying Beneficiaries	p. 144
Retirement Accounts	p. 149
Your Nest Egg	p. 150
IRAs and Then Some	p. 154
Your Government Nest Egg	p. 156
Protecting Your Eggs	p. 158
Retirement/Estate Planning Strategy	p. 160
Setting Priorities	p. 165
Your Own Who's Who	p. 166
Memory Lane	p. 171
Your ôPeopleö	p. 174
Must-Do	p. 176
Choosing Who, What, How, When, and Why	p. 179
Who and when: The Matching Game	p. 180
When: Today, Tomorrow, or Later?	p. 183
How: The Professionals	p. 185
Planning Your Estates Last Will and Testament in Texas	p. 193
Elements of a Valid Texas Will	p. 194
Changing Your Will - Codicils	p. 197
Nuncupative Wills	p. 198
Where to Keep Your Will	p. 198
Beneficiaries, Debts, and Entitlements	p. 199
Intestate in Texas	p. 201
Death Taxes	p. 201
How Your Will Might be Challenged	p. 201
A Different Type of Will - Your Living Will in Texas	p. 203
Keeping it Current	p. 205
What Changes?	p. 206
What Does ôMaintenanceö Look Like?	p. 208
What to Go Over	p. 212
Your Desk	p. 213
One Last Motivator: Probate and You	p. 215
Conclusion	p. 225
Estate-Planning Worksheets	p. 227
Your Estate in Black and White	p. 227
Prioritization	p. 230
Who, What, How, and When	p. 231
Essential Documents and Accounts Inventory	p. 232
Party Planning with an Unusual Twist	p. 251
Estate Plan Summary Sheet	p. 253
Annual To-Do List	p. 255
Glossary of Terms	p. 257
Bibliography	p. 279
Author Biography	p. 281
Index	p. 283
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