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Frequently Asked Questions
Attorney Travis Gasper’s estate planning practice focuses on helping individuals and families make important decisions today to avoid unnecessary pain and conflict tomorrow. He understands how complicated the estate planning process can be and guides his clients to ensure that their loved ones are taken care of and their final wishes are carried out.
Travis received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science from the University of Colorado Denver, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science–Constitutional Law Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Texas A&M University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Texas.
When he's not helping Texans plan for their futures, Travis enjoys traveling, Tex-Mex, and playing with his two rescue dogs, Pandora and Vanjie. He and his husband live in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.
Estate planning is simply the process of organizing your affairs during your lifetime so that your people and property are protected after your passing. It involves making decisions about how you want your assets to be handled and ensuring that your wishes are carried out effectively. Beyond just distributing assets, estate planning also involves considerations such as minimizing taxes, providing for the care of minor children or other dependents, planning for incapacity, and ensuring that your healthcare and financial decisions are made according to your preferences.
It depends! Estate planning is not one size fits all, so it’s hard for us to give you a quote without knowing more about you. Even if you believe your situation is relatively simple, there are likely nuances you are not considering. We discuss our fees and process at length in the Peace of Mind Planning Session, after we have counseled you on all your options. We do not discuss our fees outside the Peace of Mind Planning Session.
We understand that cost is an important factor in choosing an attorney, and that estate planning is a significant investment for many. It is our goal to be as transparent and fair as possible. For that reason, we offer flat fees as opposed to billing by the hour, so you know exactly what your investment will be. We also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not happy with our services, we will make it right, or refund your money.
Finally, we will only recommend planning with us if the amount you would save by doing an estate plan is greater than our fee.
We take on a limited clientele each month so we can offer a high level of service to each family. We work with people who value our advice and are seeking a long-term working relationship. If you are looking for the cheapest attorney you can find, do not want to devote time to learning about and understanding your options, or do not feel comfortable completing the Family Profile before our session, we are not the right law firm for you, and would be happy to refer you to a lawyer who may be a better fit.
No! This is the biggest myth out there. Estate planning is in no way related to how much money you have, whether you are married, or whether you are a parent.
Estate planning is putting legal documents in place that ensure your assets will go to the people you want, the way you want, when you are no longer here. It’s about making this as easy as possible on your loved ones during an otherwise difficult time—and we all care about that, no matter how much (or little) money we have.
It’s also about appointing people to manage your property and make health care decisions for you if you are incapacitated—something that matters to all of us, regardless of wealth or status.
Estate planning is an area of law that is state-specific. That means you should work with an attorney licensed in the state in which you reside. I’m licensed in Texas. If you live in Texas, we can prepare your estate planning documents. If you do not, message us, and we will be happy to refer you to an attorney licensed in your state.
You can. Keep in mind that Legal Zoom and law firms are two different things. They provide two different services. That's why the cost is different. Legal Zoom offers form documents you fill out and execute yourself. They are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. An attorney, on the other hand, counsels you and gives you legal advice based on your specific circumstances. They will customize your documents, ensure they are signed with the proper formalities, and pick up the phone when you call with questions. If these things are important to you, you should work with an attorney. If they are not, Legal Zoom may be a better option.
We have an easy, 3-step process designed to have your trust and other estate planning
documents created and signed in 4–6 weeks:
•The first step is to attend your Peace of Mind Planning Session. You’ll fill out a secure online questionnaire (“Family Profile”) before we meet so we can make the best use of our time together. At this Zoom session, you’ll learn all about your options and our flat fees. When you are ready to move forward, we’ll email you an engagement letter and invoice—it’s simple and secure to sign and pay online.
•Next is your Estate Plan Design Meeting. We’ll roll up our sleeves and design your trust and other estate planning documents, working off the information you provided in your Family Profile. After this session, we'll draft your documents, and send a copy for your review about two weeks later. We’ll then make any changes or updates you’d like to make. When everything is good to go, we’ll coordinate your Signing Ceremony.
•Your Signing Ceremony is where you’ll sign your documents with the proper legal formalities, in front of two witnesses and a notary. We can have this session at our office or your home. Following execution of the documents, we offer a complimentary annual review of your estate plan.
Our process is designed to have your estate planning documents signed 4–6 weeks after your Peace of Mind Planning Session. It depends in part on your schedule and how long it takes for you to review your draft documents.
When you are ready to move forward, whether at your Peace of Mind Planning Session, or later, just let me know. We’ll send you an engagement letter via Adobe Sign and an invoice via our secure online payment provider, LawPay. Once these housekeeping items are taken care of, you’ll schedule your Estate Plan Design Meeting.
Let's start with what we don't need: we don't need social security numbers, bank statements, or tax returns. We do need to know about the assets you own (like your house, retirement account, life insurance, etc.), their approximate value, and how they are titled (jointly, individually, etc.). Otherwise, we simply need answers to questions about your personal estate planning preferences, such as:
Who would you want raising your minor children if something happened to you and your spouse/partner?
Who would you want to be in charge of your children’s money until they are old enough to manage it themselves?
Who would you want making medical and financial decisions for you in the event of your incapacity?
Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers to these questions right away! You’ll have plenty of time to think things over throughout the process.
No. Wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents need to be signed with very specific formalities or they will not be considered legally valid. That means signing in person, in front of two witnesses and a notary (which we can provide). The witnesses are there to confirm you are lucid and not under duress, and the notary is there to confirm you are who you say you are. Any changes you make to your documents in the future will need to be executed with the same legal formalities.
Gasper Law PLLC is a boutique law firm based in Dallas, Texas. We prepare comprehensive estate plans for individuals and families throughout the Lone Star State.
Probate is the court-supervised process of administering your estate upon your death. If you die without a Will, your estate must go through probate before all your money can be distributed to your heirs. And if you die with a Will—your estate still has to go through probate! The only way to avoid probate is with a Revocable Living Trust.
What’s so bad about probate? Even a simple probate can take a year or more to complete and eats up as much as 5–7% of the estate assets in the meantime. It’s also a public proceeding that makes your will and assets available to anyone who wants to look at it.
Although a Will is subject to the probate process, a Living Trust is designed to bypass it completely.
Unfortunately, even a simple will is still subject to the expense and delays of probate. It’s not the complexity of the document itself that causes the time and expense, it’s the probate process. For this reason, most of our clients choose to create a living trust instead of a will, which is designed for simplicity and to avoid the probate process completely.
However, as part of an overall, comprehensive estate plan, a special “pour-over” will is used to appoint guardians for any minor children alive at your death.
You have two options with your estate planning: a Will-based plan, or a Living Trust-based plan.
Most of our clients choose a Living Trust. A Living Trust is a document where you appoint a chosen individual to manage your assets should you become incapacitated and distribute them to your family at your death. It is almost always preferable to a will because it is designed to avoid the time, expense, and publicity of probate, which a will cannot avoid. It comes as a surprise to many of our clients that wills do not avoid probate court—they guarantee it!
We go over the differences between a Will and a Living Trust in depth during the Peace of Mind Planning Session. The most common question I get at the end of this session is, “Why would anybody ever do a Will?!” Ultimately, however, the decision is yours.
A Statutory Durable Power of Attorney lets you appoint someone to manage your property and finances in the event of your incapacity. You will name someone you trust implicitly as your “agent.” They will step into your shoes and pay your bills, file your taxes, manage your business, etc. if you are unable.
Every estate plan we offer includes a Statutory Durable Power of Attorney.
A Medical Power of Attorney allows you to appoint someone you trust to manage your medical decisions should you be unable to do so. An Advance Directive/Living Will (not to be confused with a Living Trust or Last Will and Testament) allows you to make certain medical decisions regarding end-of-life care in advance.
Every estate plan we offer includes a Medical Power of Attorney and Advance Directive.
Your Peace of Mind Planning Session is a personalized experience designed to address your unique estate planning needs. During the session, Travis will take the time to listen to your circumstances, goals, and concerns to understand your individual situation. He'll walk you through the estate planning process, review our "no surprises" flat fee pricing, and answer any questions you may have clearly and without all that legalese. You should leave the session knowing exactly what you are getting and what the investment will be.
Sure! Travis is happy to have a quick, complimentary call before you schedule your Peace of Mind Planning Session. While we do not discuss fees outside the Peace of Mind Planning Session, he's happy to answer any basic questions you may have. You can book a call clicking here.
No problem! A Living Trust can be changed or revoked entirely as long as the creator is alive and has mental capacity to do so. Any guardians for minor children can also be changed through an amendment (called a “codicil”) to your pour-over will. All other estate planning documents (like powers of attorney, advance directives, etc.) are typically recreated as it is more cost-effective.
The point is that your documents can (and probably will be) updated as your life, your assets, and the laws all change.
Yes! In some ways, you need estate planning more than married folks. Many non-married individuals want to leave what they have to a long-time partner, a close friend, or their favorite charity—not their closest living relative. Sadly, if you die without getting this in writing, everything you worked so hard for could end up in the hands of someone you're related to but have no relationship with.
Also, it’s important for everyone to have a Medical Power of Attorney and Financial Power of Attorney, along with other key documents included in every estate planning package we offer.
Great question! I have yet to meet a parent who actually wants their kids to inherit a big lump sum when they turn 18 (the age at which you are legally entitled to inherit). Yet that is exactly what will happen if you don’t get an estate plan in place saying otherwise. The good news is that with a Trust, you can choose a later age for your kids to inherit—say 25 or 30. You have plenty of options. We’ll discuss them at your Peace of Mind Planning Session.
You nominate legal guardians in a Will or a Pour-Over Will that goes along with your Revocable Living Trust. If you pass away without nominating guardians, a judge will make that decision for you. You also run the risk that family members will fight over who gets custody because you didn’t make your preference clear. We go the extra mile and help you nominate short-term guardians to care for your children in the interim while the long-term guardians are appointed. Also, did you know you can “confidentially exclude” people you would never want raising your children no matter what? We can help with that, too!