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Estate PlanningLIVING TRUSTS, WILLS AND PROBATE Experienced Estate Planning and Probate Attorney Experienced Texas Lawyer You have worked hard your whole life to provide for your family and to develop your wealth. Inevitably, there will come a time when you will not be able to take care of your family and your assets the same way you have in the past. An experienced lawyer can help you create an estate plan to protect everything you hold dear, even when you cannot protect it yourself. I am Jon T. Oden, attorney at law, and I have over 40 years of experience helping clients with estate planning to manage and preserve their assets. From my office in Amarillo, I represent clients throughout the Texas Panhandle including Canyon, Amarillo, Borger, Pampa, Dumas, Spearman, Perryton, Dalhart, Wheeler, Canadian, Tulia, Plainview, and Lubbock. Contact me online or call 806-373-4333 to schedule your free initial consultation. Estate Planning to Meet Your Needs An estate plan consists of organizing your goals and intentions into written documents that govern the management and use of your assets during your life and control the distribution and transfer of your assets upon your death. Part of that planning takes into consideration the possibility of incapacity. Some of the tools that I use to document this planning are living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and guardianship designations. The following information is offered to explain some of those documents: Living trust: A living trust is a will substitute. Not only does it avoid probate of a will, but also, it has advantages of privacy and convenience as well as control of your assets if you are incapacitated. Living trusts help keep family and business matters private and out of the pubic records. Will: A will dictates the way you want your assets divided and distributed at your death. Probate: A will has no effect until it is accepted by a court as authentic ("probated" or proved). Texas law offers only limited choices in probating wills. Property (Financial) Power of Attorney: If your were to become incapacitated, you would need an agent to take care of your affairs. A property power of attorney designates your agent to make decisions and manage your assets for your benefit until you recover. Medical Power of Attorney: If you cannot communicate effectively because of illness, a medical power of attorney names your agent to make healthcare decisions for you if you cannot do so. Directive to Physicians and Family: If you are unable to communicate effectively, this instrument (the so-called "living will") states your direction and intention not to be sustained by artificial or heroic means under certain dire conditions. Guardianship Designation: You may designate the person to take care of your person if you become unable to manage your own personal day-to-day life. Courts must honor the designation and cannot name any other person as guardian. Schedule Your Free Consultation Estate planning can be confusing without guidance. During our free consultation, I will explain all of the available choices and help you choose the tools that are most appropriate for your needs and intentions. I work closely with my clients, their financial advisors, and their accountants to create an estate plan that is tailored to their needs. Contact me online or call 806-373-4333 to schedule your free initial consultation.
Jon T. Oden, Attorney at Law
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