A Will is one of the most important documents you will ever sign. It gives a person the opportunity to state to whom you wish to leave your property when you die. If you fail to execute a Will, your property will be distributed according to Texas intestacy laws. In many cases, unless the deceased person has executed a proper Will, the surviving spouse will only inherit a portion of the deceased person's estate.
Aside from the fact that a Will gives a person authority to state who will be the beneficiaries of their Estate, one of the most important features of a Will is that it gives a parent the ability to specify who will be appointed as guardian of their child or children. If a beneficiary is a minor or an incapacitated person, the Will may need to contain a trust to avoid an expensive guardianship procedure should that minor or incapacitated person be an heir. A Will also gives a person the ability to be creative with their bequests, which includes the ability to make percentage or fractional bequests, bequests to non-relatives, and bequests to charities.
