Beeville, TX Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

Write out your wishes in your own writing, date it and sign it, and you are done. Make sure that everyone knows where to find your Will in the event of your death. (This is not the BEST way to make a Will.) It is the cheapest, however. An attorney can advise you as to whether there are better planning tools available for you. Many people prefer to avoid probate, for example, and you cannot do that with a Will.

A Power of Attorney is a sharing of rights between living people, and it is void upon the death of the principal. Not to make light of a death, but dead people do not own property - that is the role of probate. There is no requirement that a will be presented for probate, but often a properly executed will is the simplest way to start the probate process. See what property remains in the decedent's name, and if that property cannot be transferred to the heirs or beneficiaries (real estate, financial accounts with no named beneficiary), contact a local attorney to see what form of probate best suits the needs of the estate.

Nothing requires you to leave anything to any of your children in your will. You need to make your will absolutely crystal clear, however, that you do not intend to leave them anything. You would be wise to consult with an estate-planning lawyer as to how this can best be done.