LGBT Estate Planning & Asset Protection
HIRE A KNOWLEDGEABLE TEXAS LGBTQ ESTATE PLANNING LAWYER IN CLEAR LAKE, TX
As a Texas LGBTQ Estate Planning | Asset Protection Attorney we can help you create a comprehensive and personalized estate plan that will allow you to make decisions and plan for the unexpected.
We at GP Schoemakers, PLLC care about our clients, and we understand that estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all deal. For this reason, we provide you, and other LGBTQ clients, just like you, with everything you need to fully protect you and your partners future.
Call us today and see how Attorney Grace P. Schoemakers can help you with your LGBTQ estate planning needs. We have years of experience helping people just like you.
Although same-sex couples enjoy the same marriage equality since the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, many couples still have not started their estate plan yet.
Steps that we recommend for any couple are:
1) Create a Will: It will allow you to be in control of what happens to you and your assets, instead of the state of Texas.
2) Create a Trust if you are worried about potential conflicts after your death as they relate to your assets. Although everyone can be potentially at risk for this, the risk might be more real for LGBTQ couples who are estranged from their biological families. A trust is a less public way to deal with your assets after your death, which could significantly decrease the risk of a contestation.
3) Create a Plan that covers all your medical needs. In general we recommend everyone to have a Durable Medical Power of Attorney (Allows someone of your choice to make medical decisions for you in case you can not communicate your wishes), a HIPAA Release Authorization (giving your loved ones the right to share your medical information with doctors), and a Living Will (deals with Medical care when you have a terminal condition).
4) Create a Plan for your incapacity. Having a Durable Power of Attorney can allow a person you trust to be in control, while avoiding a potential long drawn out court battle between your loved one and biological relatives.
5) Create a Plan for your children. We recommend Second-Parent adoptions where appropriate, as well as creating a Kids Safety Plan™. A Kids Safety Plan™ is designed to uniquely address the protection of your children via guardianship designations and asset protection strategies.
6) Create a Plan for your pets. A Pet Trust will provide for the health, maintenance, support, housing, and any other special instructions essential for the care of your fur-baby.
Discuss your estate planning needs with our trusted estate planning attorney Grace P. Schoemakers. We can help you develop a thorough plan that will fit your estate and family needs.