It is never too early. Without an estate plan, the people who survive you inherit a legal battle instead of instructions. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and the questions in between: planned properly, updated as life changes.
Planning today spares your family a legal battle later.
Without an estate plan, the loved ones who survive you are left to sort through a difficult legal situation. It is never too early. Estate planning is not only for the retired.
Bring any existing will, deed, or beneficiary form. If nothing exists yet, that is normal. Most planning starts from zero.
What it covers
A plan is more than who gets what.
Name who receives your property, a guardian for minor children, and a successor for a family business. Strong planning also passes on instructions and values, not just assets.
Marriages, divorces, new children, new property, deployments, and deaths all change what the documents should say. An estate plan is not something you do once.
Reputation
Five decades of Texas estate plans.
Texans have worked with Ted Smith on simple and complex estate planning for over four decades: wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and the targeted planning larger estates need.
Your plan should say who makes healthcare and financial decisions if you cannot, including resuscitation, organ donation, and end-of-life wishes. Without directions, those decisions can be made for you.
The planning conversation usually starts with practical family and property questions.
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Wills and trusts
Clarify who acts, who receives property, and whether a trust conversation is needed.
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Powers of attorney
Discuss who may need authority if illness, deployment, or age makes action harder.
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Family protection
Plan around blended families, minor children, special-needs concerns, or vulnerable beneficiaries.
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Updates
Review plans after deaths, marriages, divorces, moves, new property, or major life changes.
Why Ted Smith Law Group
Why Central Texas families plan with this office
Estate planning is local, personal, and document-sensitive. Ted Smith Law Group keeps the first conversation grounded in family facts, documents, and practical next steps.
Since 1976
Ted Smith opened his Killeen practice after Fort Hood JAG service.
Bell County
Local office and long Central Texas community record.
“I used Ted Smith Law group to probate my wife's estate. Ted Smith and Barbie King were absolutely terrific in supporting my Probate case. They far exceeded my support expectations.”
“The Ted Smith Law group helped me with my SSDI case. It was a lengthy process and they were there all the way through. They kept me up to date on what was needed to be done and documents that needed to be completed.”
“Ted Smith is the best in the area! I can't say enough good things. The whole office cares about their clients and make sure your case is taken care of swiftly and done perfectly.”
The right plan depends on property, family structure, privacy goals, cost, and how assets would transfer. A will can name beneficiaries and an executor. A trust may make sense when property management, incapacity, privacy, blended-family planning, or beneficiary control needs more structure.
When should I update my estate plan?
Review a plan after marriage, divorce, death in the family, a new child, a move, a major property purchase, military transition, health change, or a change in who should make decisions. Older documents may still exist, but they may no longer match the family situation.
Can Fort Hood families use on-base JAG?
On-base legal assistance may help eligible service members with some basic documents. Private counsel can be useful when the planning involves civilian spouses, retirees, trusts, probate risk, blended families, special-needs planning, real property, or coordination beyond a basic form.
What should I bring to an estate-planning consultation?
Bring any current will, trust, power of attorney, beneficiary forms, deed information, account lists, family notes, and questions about who should act if you cannot. The first conversation is easier when the lawyer can see what already exists and what has changed.
Start an estate-planning conversation.
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and the questions in between. The first conversation sorts what your family actually needs, nothing more.
