Pre Planning and Document Prep

Life is complicated. You can make it less complicated by taking some time to plan ahead. Think about the people that are important to you and what you want them to have after you are gone. Disposing of your property depends on what the property is and who you want to give it to. A lot of people don't bother to make a Will. If you do not make a Will it doesn’t mean the State of Texas will take your property. It does make the job of giving your property to the people you want to have it much more difficult for your loved ones. There are other important documents besides a Will that need to be prepared. You can prepare these documents yourself but you are likely to miss some important things that will make all your documents useless. This will cause confusion for your loved ones after you pass away and make closing your estate more expensive than it needs to be. You may already have all of these documents but need to update them because things have changed since you originally prepared them. Preparing or updating all of your estate planning documents can be confusing. You can reduce the confusion for you and your loved ones. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Preparing Powers of Attorney

Planning Gifts and Donations

Updating Ownership of Bank Accounts

Updating Beneficiaries

Public Record Searches

Finding the right documents  to show you own a piece of property can take a lot of time. It can also be frustrating if you have never searched for documents or even been in a courthouse. You can’t always find everything online. The information you need  may be on a piece of paper buried somewhere in an office building.  We have over thirty years experience in searching for public records in some of the biggest and smallest counties in Southeast Texas. We not only can find the documents if they exist but we can prepare a summary of them to help you understand what they mean. Some important documents will not be in the courthouse. They are official records such as a death certificate, a marriage certificate, or even a birth certificate. Official records must be requested from a local, state, or federal government agency. Each agency has its own rules and regulations that must be followed to get access to their records. We also file documents. Some documents do not become effective until they are filed in the right courthouse or government office. Each state and county has its own rules about which documents need to be filed and where. We understand those rules and the importance of filing documents at the right place and the right time. Keeping track of your documents and where they have been filed is also important. Some documents may need to be filed in more than one county or government office. That can also take time. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Ownership Information

Deeds and Leases

Property Tax Information

Other Official Documents

Retirement Benefits

Many different organizations provide benefits to people. Employers provide benefits, financial institutions provide benefits, and governments provide benefits. That makes keeping track of the the benefits you or your loved ones should receive complicated. Figuring out which benefits you and your loved ones are receiving and how they work together is even more complicated. Determining which benefits are available depends on what a person has done in their life. This includes how long they have worked and how many jobs they have had. It also depends on what choices they have made about their physical health and financial health. Qualifying for benefits usually depends on the age of a person, their health, or when they passed away. They also may qualify for benefits that neither they nor their loved ones know anything about. Sorting this out means spending time on the telephone and filling out forms. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Update Retirement Plan Beneficiaries

Contacting Employers for Employee Benefits

Contacting Brokerage Firms for Retirement Benefits

Contacting the Veterans Administration for VA Benefits

Referrals

Everybody needs help. Most of the time people don’t realize they have a problem and when they do realize it they don’t know how to solve it. We do. We have experience with many different estate-related issues. We will identify the problems you are having and tell you how we can solve them.  If we can’t solve them we will refer you to knowledgeable and trustworthy people who can. The important thing for you is to find a solution. We start by getting information from you about your problem. This includes reviewing any paperwork you have. Then we will analyze the information and ask you more questions. Sometimes it turns out the problem you have is just a symptom of a bigger problem you didn’t know you had. The bigger problem may require you to find a specialist to deal with it. Finding the right specialist is critical. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Referrals to Attorneys

Referrals to Accountants

Referrals to Real Estate Professionals

Referrals to Other Professional Services

PROPERTY transfers

There are many kinds of property. People usually think of property as their house and their car. But most people have bank accounts and insurance policies. Those things are property too. But changing the ownership of a house or a car is different than changing the ownership of a bank account or an insurance policy. Each type of property transfer is different and has its own special requirements. Transferring ownership of a house or a car is very similar because the proof of ownership is called a title. So selling a house or a car really means transferring the titles to the person that signs a contract to buy the house or car. Transferring ownership of a bank account or an insurance policy is different because you are transferring forms of money. Unless you keep your money under your mattress, your money is in a financial institution like a bank or a brokerage firm. Your proof of ownership of your money is a contract with the financial institution. The contract says how the financial institution is going to pay you back your money when you want it. The contract can also tell the financial institution who is supposed to get your money if certain things happen. So transferring property can be very easy or it can become very complicated. You will probably need a real estate agent if you are buying or selling your house. You may be able to transfer other kinds of property yourself. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Transferring Real Estate

Transferring Vehicles, RVs, and Boats

Transferring, Redeeming, or Liquidating Bank Accounts

Transferring Stocks, Bonds, and the Contents of Safety Deposit Boxes

consulting

A second opinion is always good to have. One of our co-founders, Terry Hamilton, has spent twenty-seven years in the legal services field. He specializes in legal technology, pro bono program development, and self help content development for people unable to afford a lawyer to represent them. He is available to review your firm or program’s current service delivery model to improve efficiency and effectiveness or to develop new models to deliver innovative services. He will make short visits to your office or offices to review documents, meet your staff, and conduct interviews. This is done to gather information about your current operations and procedures and to determine where you want your program to go or what new capabilities you want to develop for your program. He will then prepare a report on his findings and make recommendations on how you can move forward. Performing a regular assessment of your program is important. We can help you with that.

Our Services Include:

Services and Prices are Negotiable