Estate planning is essential to providing for your loved ones, protecting your assets, and ensuring your wishes are fulfilled after you are gone. Yet, many are unsure when to start estate planning. While many believe it only becomes necessary later in life, beginning the process somewhat earlier offers significant benefits. At Massingill, we offer estate planning services to meet your...
Continue ReadingYou’ve decided to start crafting a legacy to protect your family’s future. It’s more than drafting documents—it’s about ensuring peace of mind for your loved ones. Choosing the right estate planning attorney is critical to transforming uncertainty into security. Now, you want to know how to find an estate planning attorney. We have you covered. At Massingill, we’re here to...
Continue ReadingYour family is grieving a loss, only to face a complicated legal process—probate, to access your assets. Without a clear plan, probate can drag on, adding unnecessary stress during an already difficult time. You’re probably wondering how to avoid probate in Texas. You can do so entirely with proactive steps, ensuring your loved ones avoid this frustrating ordeal. This...
Continue ReadingYou’ve decided to take charge of your future and protect your family by creating an estate plan. But as you review the associated costs, you may wonder: Are estate planning fees tax deductible? This is a common question for Texas residents who want to plan wisely for their legacy and finances. In this blog post, we’ll break down the...
Continue ReadingDealing with issues related to trusts, trustees, or estate management can get confusing. Maybe you’re not getting the funds you were promised or noticing that the trustee is not acting in your best interest. The whole process can feel unfair, especially if you’re unsure of your rights. If you’re facing fiduciary litigation, you need someone who understands the law...
Continue ReadingThere may come a time when a person loses the ability to communicate his or her health care decisions. Whether the person loses capacity as a result of an accident, disease, or old age, it can be a difficult time for everyone involved. To ease the emotional stress of these types of situations, Texans should consider completing a medical...
Continue ReadingIt is natural to want to protect your hard-earned assets to ensure you and your loved ones can benefit from them for years to come. One way married couples can protect assets is by creating a spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT). These trusts allow one spouse to set aside assets for the benefit of the other spouse. In this...
Continue ReadingFew people imagine they’ll ever need a probate attorney. However, the need for adequate representation throughout the probate process becomes obvious right after a loved one passes on. There are many reasons for this. First, probate is a long and complicated process. This fact is especially true now as probate cases have surged since 2020. Second, probate proceedings tend to...
Continue ReadingIf you die without a will in Texas, any property you own at the time of your death will be distributed in accordance with Texas intestate succession laws. But, you may be wondering, What exactly does that mean? If you have questions about how to plan for your future and what happens if you die without a will in...
Continue ReadingWhen someone passes away (commonly referred to as a “decedent”), one of the first things to do is determine whether the decedent left a will. If the decedent did leave a will, it must go through the probate process in court before the property can be distributed to their beneficiaries. The probate process can be complicated. Sometimes, after a will is...
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