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Estate Planning Resources
Articles and guides to help you understand your options for protecting your family and your assets in Texas and North Carolina.
A residuary clause in a Will distributes the remaining estate after debts, expenses, and specific gifts, helping ensure that known and unknown assets pass according to the testator’s wishes.
- Rania Combs
A Florida Supreme Court case shows how a do-it-yourself Will without a residuary clause caused inherited property to pass under intestacy laws and led to costly litigation.
- Rania Combs
The article explains how a holographic Will can be upheld in Texas but still expose beneficiaries to costly legal challenges, while North Carolina imposes an additional safekeeping requirement.
- Rania Combs
Leona Helmsley’s 2007 Will left $12 million in trust for her dog, Trouble, but a Will contest reduced the bequest to $2 million.
- Rania Combs
The article explains why Wills should be reviewed after major life changes, using a family’s outdated guardian designation to illustrate the risks of relying on an old Will.
- Rania Combs
A Texas self-proving affidavit can simplify Will probate by providing presumptive evidence of proper execution and reducing the need for witness testimony.
- Rania Combs
A self-proving affidavit confirms that a testator properly signed a Will before two witnesses and can eliminate the need for witness testimony during probate.
- Rania Combs
The article explains why DIY Will and document preparation services differ from attorneys, focusing on legal advice, professional oversight, accountability, and ways to evaluate a lawyer.
- Rania Combs
The article explains why individualized legal advice is important when preparing a Will and why DIY forms may fail to address blended families, minor children, or special-needs beneficiaries.
- Rania Combs
A father’s hastily prepared holographic Will left his wife as the sole beneficiary, allowing her to exclude his daughter from his estate.
- Rania Combs
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Topics
- Estate Planning122
- Wills62
- Probate and Estate Administration46
- Powers of Attorney46
- Intestacy34
- Gift and Estate Tax32
- Trusts28
- Newsworthy25
- Choosing a Guardian25
- Wacky Wills22
- Odds and Ends17
- The Risk of DIY Planning16
- Special Needs Trusts13
- Transfer on Death Deeds13
- Retirement and End of Life Planning13
- Incapacity11
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