Business and Estate Planning attorneY, Admitted in Texas and California,

BASED IN austin, SERVING lakeway, bee caves, westlake Hills and all of texas

A typical "complete" estate plan includes five primary documents, along with a few supporting documents.  The primary documents are:

• Revocable Living Trust with property schedule
• Certification of Trust
• Will(s)
• Power(s) of Attorney
• Advance Health Care Directive(s)

The supporting documents may include real estate deeds, conflict waivers for spouses, etc.  As a Texas Notary Public, I can notarize the documents as necessary.

I include a letter to the title insurance company for your property to make sure that your policy of title insurance will continue to be valid after transfer to the trust.  

A package like this is typically prepared by estate planning attorneys for a flat fee.   The package includes the primary documents and deeds necessary to transfer title for one piece of real property into the name of the trust.  Included are the initial consultation, review of the documents, and notarial services for the executed original documents.  You will receive the original documents and a copy, and I will retain a copy.  Flat fees do not include recording fees for the deed which is filed with the County Recorder.  

Additional parcels of real property can be handled for small additional fees, plus recording fees.  If you have real property in a state other than Texas or California, I will recommend using a local attorney in that state to prepare the necessary deeds to transfer title into your trust.  Flat fees also do not include any transfer letters, letters of instruction, etc., for financial assets including stocks, bank accounts, etc.  You will have to see to those assets, or I can prepare the necessary instructions and deal with the financial institutions for you on an additional fee basis.  Some assets will not be put into the trust at all as they pass automatically and/or have serious adverse tax consequences if they pass through the medium of the trust.  

By clicking on the button below, you can download a copy of the memorandum I supply all clients about retitling assets into a trust.

Estate Plan Packages

Law Office of David L. Howell

Click this button to download a free Estate Planning form you can use to collect key information to get ready for an estate plan: