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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Gratia Schoemakers
      • Community Outreach Program
    • Testimonials
  • Virtual Services
  • Estate Planning
    • Estate Planning Basics
    • Last Will and Testament
    • Revocable Living Trusts
    • Durable Power of Attorney
    • Medical Power of Attorney
    • Living Will
    • Family Estate Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning & Asset Protection
    • Kids Safety Plan™
    • Business Succession Planning
    • Guardianship
      • Guardianship Planning
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Legacy Preservation Planning
    • Asset Protection
    • Trusts
    • Pet Trusts
    • Gun Trusts
  • Probate
    • Texas Probate Guide
    • Probate of a Will
    • Texas Affidavit of Heirship
    • Texas Small Estate Affidavit
    • Texas Heirship Determination
    • Texas Muniment of Title
    • Trust Administration
  • Family Law
    • Divorce
    • Collaborative Divorce
    • Mediation
    • Custody / Visitation
  • Blog
  • FAQs
    • FAQs – Videos
    • FAQs – Estate Planning
    • FAQs – Beyond Money in Estate Planning
    • FAQs – Divorce and Estate Planning FAQs and Myths
    • FAQs – Estate Planning for Newlyweds Myths and FAQs
    • FAQs – Estate Planning for Young Adults
    • FAQs – The Estate Planning Cast of Characters
    • FAQs – Expecting an Inheritance
    • FAQs – Myths and FAQs – Planning for Conflict Prone Families
    • FAQs – New and Expanding Families
    • FAQs – Pet Trusts
    • FAQs – Probate
    • FAQs – Standalone Retirement Trust Myths and FAQs
    • FAQs – Trust Modifications
    • FAQs – Unwinding Obsolete Planning
    • FAQs – Why You Want to Avoid Probate
    • FAQs – Year-End Planning Myths and FAQs
  • Contact
    • Virtual Estate Planning Login
    • Client Portal

Probate Court

3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs

September 5, 2022 By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.

probate costs

The bad news: probated estates are subject to a variety of costs from attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, courts, and state law.  Depending on the probate’s complexity, fees can run into tens of thousands of dollars. The good news: probate costs can be reduced by avoiding probate.  It’s really that simple. Here are three simple ways […]

Filed Under: Estate Planning, Trusts, Wills, wwPROBATE Tagged With: Beneficiaries, Cost, Living Trust, Probate, Probate Costs, Probate Court, Property

How To Avoid Sending Your Loved Ones (and Assets) Through Probate

August 2, 2022 By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.

Probate Court

Today many people are using a revocable living trust instead of a will or joint ownership as the foundation of their estate plan. When properly prepared, a living trust will avoid the public, costly and time-consuming court processes of conservatorship or guardianship (due to incapacity) or probate (after death). Still, many people make a big […]

Filed Under: Estate Planning, Trusts Tagged With: Assets, Probate Court

The Top 2 Ways the Court Gets Involved in Your Estate, and How to Avoid Them

January 28, 2020 By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.

court involvement

No one wants unnecessary court involvement in their life. But without careful and proactive estate planning, chances are that some aspect of your estate will end up being decided there. Here are two of the most common ways court proceedings can make their way into the management and distribution of your assets, along with the […]

Filed Under: Estate Planning, Guardianship, wwPROBATE Tagged With: Probate, Probate Court, Revocable Trust

Michael Jackson’s Estate Pulled Into Seemingly Endless Probate Court Battles

August 18, 2016 By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.

Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” had always been a controversial superstar. Over the years, he became the father of three children, Prince Michael Jackson II, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, and Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr.  While Jackson created a trust to care for his children and other family and friends, he never actually funded it. The result? Embarrassing […]

Filed Under: Estate Planning Tagged With: Asset Protection, Celebrities, Mistakes, Privacy, Probate, Probate Court, Trust

Skyrocketing Probate Fees – Another Reason to Avoid Probate Court

August 3, 2015 By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.

As of July 1, 2015, Connecticut probate courts earned the dubious distinction of charging the highest probate fees in the U.S..  Amazingly, the Connecticut legislature voted to completely cut general fund support for the state’s probate courts for the next two fiscal years, thereby creating a $32 million deficit.  In order to cover the shortfall, the […]

Filed Under: Estate Planning Tagged With: Beneficiaries, Cost, Privacy, Probate, Probate Costs, Probate Court, Trust

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