FAN LAW OFFICE

If you own real estate in more than one state, you may be setting your family up for a legal and financial ordeal — even if you have a will. Here's why: a will is admitted to probate in the state where you were domiciled at death. But real estate in another state is subject to that state's laws — and must go through a separate probate proceeding called ancillary probate. Own property in three states? Your family may face three simultaneous probates, each in a different court,

For many Texas retirees, the family home is the largest single asset they own. It's also, for most families, the one asset most likely to cause problems at death — if it's not properly planned for. The core question is simple: when you die, how does your home pass to your family? The answer depends entirely on how the property is titled and what documents you have in place. If your home is titled in your name alone and you have only a will, it will go through probate — a cour

Buying your first home is one of the most significant financial decisions of your life. It's also one of the most significant estate planning triggers — and most first-time buyers don't realize it until much later. The moment you sign the closing documents, you own a substantial asset. Without an estate plan, the question of what happens to that asset if something happens to you is answered entirely by state law — not by you. Here are three steps to take right away: Step 1:

One of the most counterintuitive realities of significant wealth is that transferring it to the next generation without protections in place can actually harm the people you're trying to help. An outright inheritance received at the wrong moment — during a divorce, at a time of financial naivety, or in the middle of a lawsuit — can be lost, depleted, or seized. The assets you spent a lifetime building can disappear within a generation. Sophisticated estate planning for high-n