Avoiding Probate: How An Experienced Texas Estate Planning Attorney Can Help

Probate can be an unnecessary financial and logistical burden on your loved ones when you die, complicating their lives when they are already coping with their grief. Fortunately, the right strategic approach to your estate plan can minimize or eliminate probate entirely.

Our founding attorney, Jon R. Disrud, is passionate about the rights of individuals and their families, and he believes in helping people in San Antonio and the surrounding communities find legal solutions that fully meet their goals.

What Is Probate, And How Can You Avoid It?

Probate is the legal process by which an estate is settled after a testator dies. It involves making certain that the deceased’s final debts and taxes are paid and that the remainder of their assets are properly transferred to the appropriate inheritors.

Depending upon the complexity of an estate, probate can be expensive and lengthy, draining resources from your estate that could be used better by your loved ones. To avoid probate, some of the most common strategies employed include:

• Revocable living trusts that can convert to irrevocable trusts upon your death, which bypass probate
• Joint ownership of certain assets, including real property, whether through joint tenancy with the right of survivorship, tenancy by the entirety or other rights to survivorship
• Beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement accounts and payable-on-death bank accounts that can transfer directly to the right parties
• Gifts given during your lifetime to reduce the size of your estate

When looking ahead at probate avoidance, it takes skill to make sure that tax implications and other financial concerns are properly addressed. That is what we do. Since every estate is unique, you need a custom plan that’s tailored to your needs.

Contact Us Today To Learn More About Probate Avoidance

A focused approach to estate planning that aims to minimize or avoid probate is not something that you should try to handle on your own. You need an experienced estate planning attorney.

Call Law Office of Jon R. Disrud at 210-569-0581 or contact us via email to schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers today.