{"id":13008,"date":"2024-10-16T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=13008"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:13:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:13:20","slug":"organizing-for-estate-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/organizing-for-estate-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Organizing for Estate Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter the time of year, we are all concerned with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/spruce-up-your-estate-plan\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sprucing up<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and organizing our houses. But what about tidying your \u201clegal house?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some ways organizing your house now can benefit your loved ones in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Clean Out Your Clutter<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleaning out your closets can benefit more than just your living space. It will lessen the burden on your family when the time comes to comb through \u201call that stuff.\u201d If we clean out our clutter, our family is spared that extra emotional pull at an already difficult time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Start Gifting Heirlooms Now<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you\u2019re at it, go ahead and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/intentional-gifting\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gift<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> those precious items to the family and friends who will ultimately receive them anyway. This lessens the chance that the item gets lost or is not distributed properly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Or, At the Very Least, Organize Your Heirlooms\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re not ready to gift those family heirlooms, label them or make a list of who is ultimately to get them. Lists outside of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/wills-trusts\/how-to-write-a-will-in-texas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wills<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are not enforceable in Texas, but in reality, most families will honor them so long as the distribution is equitable. Spare the kids from arguing over who gets what; you have already made that decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Consolidate Bank Accounts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have many bank accounts, consolidate them. Fewer accounts to deal with will make everything easier for those left behind. Make sure all of your bank accounts have \u201crights of survivorship\u201d (if they are jointly owned), or \u201cpayable on death\u201d beneficiary designations (if they are owned by only you).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Store Documents in a Safe Place<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure your will, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/5-important-steps-for-durable-power-of-attorney-agent\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">powers of attorney<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and lists of assets and contacts are easily discoverable. Unfortunately, documents in safety deposit boxes can be lost when the family doesn\u2019t know where the box is, or have access to it. A home safe is a better choice. Keep the key or combination somewhere that your loved ones can easily find one day.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get Help with Estate Planning From Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/our-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">team<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of expert attorneys can\u2019t help you clean and organize your home, we can help with ensuring your estate plan is in order. If you or a loved one need assistance with estate planning, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/lewisville-attorney\/#form\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">schedule a consultation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Happy organizing!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kendra Rey is an attorney at Hammerle Morris Law Firm, a boutique law firm offering services in estate planning, probate, guardianship, business law, litigation, and real estate.\u00a0 Contact her at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"tel:9724369300\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(972) 436-9300<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article does not constitute as legal advice.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter the time of year, we are all concerned with sprucing up and organizing our houses. But what about tidying your \u201clegal house?\u201d\u00a0 Here are some ways organizing your house now can benefit your loved ones in the future.\u00a0 1. Clean Out Your Clutter Cleaning out your closets can benefit more than just your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":13011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1224],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13008","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-estate-planning"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Organizing for Estate Planning | Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Organizing your home can make estate planning easier for your loved ones. 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