Estate Planning & Trusts

Estate Planning Services in Houston

We provide packages from the simple to the complex, depending on your family's needs.

Probate Avoidance Package^TM

If you have not checked the price lately, the legal fees for hiring a probate attorney have gotten to be rather expensive. The filing fees go up every year, and so do the attorney's fees. The key to estate planning in Texas is to avoid Probate Court entirely.

At the Law Office of Troy M. Moore, PLLC, we have created a package just for this situation -- the Probate Avoidance Package^TM . At our office, we utilize a collection of documents that allows you to avoid probate court in its entirety. We use a combination of beneficiary designations, TODD deeds, powers of attorney, and a basic Last Will & Testament that allows your loved one's to avoid probating your estate entirely! 😁.

Did you know that probate for an individual costs $5,000.00? And that is based on what the price is today -- for a married couple that is $10,000.00! Not to mention, who wants their private business being handled in probate court anyway, which is a public record for anyone to come and look up your information.

We excel in advanced estate planning. Stop doing things the old way and come see the new way to plan your estate. Call us today for details on setting up your initial consultation.

Click here for more detailed information on the Probate Avoidance Package^TM

Last Will & Testament

• Your Last Will & Testament is a legal document that sets out the plan for who receives your assets after you die, as well as who is in charge of carrying out the terms of the Will.  That person is known as the Executor.
• Click here to learn more about what a Last Will & Testament is.  
  
  

Revocable Living Trust

• A revocable living trust is an estate planning device that creates a new legal person (i.e. the Trust) to which the “Trustor” or “Settlor” can then transfer their property into the name of the Trust.  This helps to effectuate a speedy transfer of assets after death while avoiding probate at the same time.  These are very easy to set up but they do require some effort on your part to use them effectively.
• Click here for more information about Revocable Living Trusts.  
  
  

Medical Power Of Attorney

• If you need a medical power of attorney and you do not have one — it’s too late!  Delegate who can make your medical decisions for you when you cannot by having our estate planning law firm assist you with creating your Medical Power of Attorney.  A power of attorney in general is a legal document that designates a third party to make your decisions for you. The Medical Power of Attorney designates and delegates the medical decision-making for you, in the event you become incapacitated, to another person.
• For more detailed information on a Medical  Power of Attorney, please Click Here.
  
  

Financial Power Of Attorney (also known as Statutory Durable Power of Attorney)

• Just like the medical power of attorney, if you need a power of attorney for financial decisions and you do not have one — it’s too late!  If you do not have a Financial Power of Attorney / Statutory Durable Power of Attorney, and you become incapacitated, nobody else will be able to manage your financial affairs until they are appointed as the Guardian of your Estate while you are alive.  This is an incredibly formal process that is very expensive and time consuming.  By using a Statutory Durable Power of Attorney, you can designate another person who can make your financial decisions for you in the event you become incapacitated.  
• For more information on a Statutory Durable Power of Attorney, please Click Here.
  
  

Living Will a/k/a Directive To Physicians

• Many times, people confuse a Living Will and a Last Will & Testament.  A Living Will is also formally called a Directive to Physicians.  The Living Will directs your doctor whether to provide life supporting treatment or not in the event you have been diagnosed with a terminal or irreversible condition and you are incapacitated.  
• For more detailed information, please Click Here for our detailed explanation.
• You can also read our blog post about this by clicking here, or watch our Youtube video on this subject by clicking here.  
  
  

Transfer on Death Deeds

• Transfer on Death Deeds represent the single most effective way to avoid probate court, while 1) still maintaining control over your property, and 2) preserving all your exemptions for property taxes (i.e. homestead, disability, VA, etc.);
• Transfer on Death Deeds allow you to designate a beneficiary for your home, lake house, or even a vacant lot;
• The Texas Transfer on Death Deed works similar to a life insurance policy, where the house just gets transferred directly to the beneficiary designated immediately upon your death;
• For Estate Planning, this is the key player for our Probate Avoidance Package, which allows you to avoid probate court in Texas;
• The TODD (transfer on death deed, for short) is revocable and can be changed, just like your Will;
• TODD's are but one way to transfer a house deed in Texas, as explained more by Clicking Here.
• Find out more about Transfer on Death Deeds, including their pros and cons, in our legal blog article about that topic by Clicking Here.
  
  

Special Needs Trust (a/k/a Supplemental Needs Trust)

• A special needs trust, also called a supplemental needs trust, is a specialized trust that provides for supplemental money and other items to be given to a person with a disability without disqualifying the disabled person from receiving governmental support payments.  These are truly vital to maintaining the well-being and mental health of the disabled person, since government assistance payments are only provided for those who are very poor “on paper.”
• The Special Needs Trust is used in estate planning for adult incapacitated persons.  It allows a way for a family member to provide for a disabled child or family member once the parent or family member has passed away and can no longer care for the disable person.  It also provides for a way to give property to the disabled property during the parent or family member’s lifetime without jeopardizing government benefits.  
• For a more detailed explanation of the special needs trust, please Click Here.
  
  

Together with you, we anticipate any future issues and provide solutions tailored to your situation.