Texas Estate Planning: Compare Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney
A Texas estate plan should answer three different questions:
- Who receives your property after your death?
- Who can make financial and medical decisions if you cannot act for yourself?
- Will your family need to use probate to transfer the assets you leave behind?
No single document answers every question. A complete plan coordinates the documents that control inheritance, incapacity, guardians, and the way important assets are owned or transferred.
Use this page to compare the available Texas plans and choose the right place to start.
Choose a Starting Point
| Your main goal | Best starting point | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Help appropriate assets pass without probate | Texas Family Trust Plan | A properly signed and funded trust can help covered assets pass outside probate. Funding is a separate, necessary step. |
| Create a coordinated will-based plan | Texas Family Will Plan | A will directs probate assets, names an executor, and can nominate guardians. A will does not avoid probate. |
| Add or update incapacity documents when you already have a will or trust | Texas Power of Attorney Documents | Includes Texas financial and medical decision-making documents for an individual or couple. |
| Protect a single Texan age 18–26 | Young Adult Power of Attorney Plan | Designed for emergencies, medical-information access, financial help, and a simple will. |
| Own or plan for suppressors, SBRs, or other NFA items | Texas Gun Trust | A separate specialty trust for NFA ownership, possession, and succession. |
Not sure which path fits? Use the Texas estate-plan finder.
What a Complete Texas Estate Plan Should Address
Inheritance after death
A will or trust identifies beneficiaries and the people responsible for carrying out the plan. A will generally controls probate assets. A trust can control assets transferred to it and provide continuing terms for beneficiaries.
Financial and medical decisions during incapacity
Powers of attorney and medical documents let you name trusted people to act when you cannot. These documents serve a different purpose from a will because a will does not take effect during your lifetime.
Children and other beneficiaries
A coordinated plan can nominate guardians for minor children and provide instructions for holding an inheritance instead of requiring an immediate outright distribution.
Asset ownership and transfers
Beneficiary designations, survivorship arrangements, deeds, and trust funding can affect how an asset passes. The documents and the ownership plan should work together.
Will-Based Planning and Trust-Based Planning
Most Texas families begin by comparing a will-based plan with a trust-based plan.
| Feature | Texas Family Will Plan | Texas Family Trust Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Current household price | $199 | $399 |
| One purchase can cover both spouses | Yes | Yes |
| Last Will and Testament | Yes | Pour-over will included |
| Revocable Living Trust | No | Yes |
| Financial and medical incapacity documents | Yes | Yes |
| Guardian documents | Yes | Yes |
| Can help appropriate assets avoid probate | No; the will is used through probate | Yes, when the trust is properly signed and appropriate assets are properly transferred or otherwise governed by it |
| Funding instructions | Not applicable in the same way | Included |
Texas Family Will Plan
The $199 Texas Family Will Plan is for customers who understand the probate tradeoff and prefer a coordinated will-based plan. It includes a Last Will and Testament, executor and beneficiary provisions, financial and medical incapacity documents, guardian documents, signing instructions, and one year of updates. One purchase can cover one person or both spouses.
Before choosing a will, review what a Texas will costs and the detailed Texas will-versus-trust comparison.
Texas Family Trust Plan
The $399 Texas Family Trust Plan is designed for Texans whose goal includes helping appropriate assets pass without probate. It includes a Revocable Living Trust, Certificate of Trust, Assignment of Personal Property and Digital Assets, pour-over will, powers of attorney, medical documents, guardian documents, a deed template, funding instructions, and one year of updates. One purchase can cover one person or both spouses.
A trust is not a shortcut around every legal process. It must be properly signed, and appropriate assets must be transferred to or coordinated with it. Individual assets, beneficiary designations, family circumstances, and title issues can change the result.
Learn more about living trusts in Texas, how to avoid probate in Texas, what a trust costs, and the five steps to set up and fund a Texas trust.
Power of Attorney Documents for Texas Adults
A will or trust answers what happens after death. Powers of attorney answer who can help during your lifetime if illness, injury, travel, or another event prevents you from handling decisions yourself.
The Texas Power of Attorney Documents package is designed for an individual or couple who already has a will or trust but needs updated incapacity documents. It includes:
- Statutory Durable Power of Attorney for financial matters
- Medical Power of Attorney
- HIPAA Authorization
- Directive to Physicians, Family, or Surrogates
Start with Power of Attorney in Texas: What You Need to Know if you want to understand the roles before choosing documents.
A Focused Plan for Young Adults
When a Texan turns 18, a parent does not automatically retain authority to obtain private medical information or manage the young adult’s financial matters. The Young Adult Power of Attorney Plan is designed for single Texans ages 18–26 and can help a chosen person act during an emergency.
The plan includes a Medical Power of Attorney, HIPAA Authorization, Durable Financial Power of Attorney, and a simple Last Will and Testament.
For someone older than 26 who already has a will or trust, review the Texas Power of Attorney Documents. For someone who needs a full inheritance and incapacity plan, compare the Will Plan and Trust Plan above.
A Separate Trust for NFA Firearms
The Texas Family Trust Plan is not offered as an NFA gun trust. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and other NFA items involve separate federal rules and specialized possession and transfer concerns.
The attorney-designed Texas Gun Trust can be used to create a new NFA trust or restate an existing one. It includes trustee and beneficiary change documents, administration instructions, restatement capability, and one year of revisions.
For background, read Understanding NFA Trusts and how a gun trust can simplify shared suppressor use.
How the Online Planning Process Works
1. Choose the plan that matches your goal
Choose a will-based plan, trust-based plan, POA package, young-adult plan, or NFA trust. If you are unsure, use the estate-plan finder.
2. Complete the guided questionnaire
The questionnaire collects the people, relationships, and choices needed for the selected documents. Progress saves so you can return later.
3. Review, sign, and complete the follow-through
Follow the plan’s signing instructions. Trust customers must also follow the funding instructions because signing a trust and funding it are separate steps.
When a Self-Guided Plan May Not Be Enough
The online plans are designed for many Texas individuals and families who are comfortable following recorded explanations and written instructions. Separate legal advice may be appropriate when:
- You want recommendations based on your individual facts
- You need advanced tax, business-succession, or asset-protection planning
- Your family or ownership situation is disputed or unusually complex
- You need individualized public-benefit or special-needs advice
- You are unsure how deeds, business interests, mineral interests, or other specialized assets should be handled
Individualized advice and document review are available separately through About us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a will avoid probate in Texas?
No. A will generally directs probate assets and is used through the Texas probate process. Some assets can pass outside the will through a trust, beneficiary designation, survivorship arrangement, or another nonprobate method.
Does a living trust automatically avoid probate?
No. A trust must be properly signed, and appropriate assets must be transferred to or coordinated with it. The Texas Family Trust Plan includes funding instructions because creating the trust and funding it are separate steps.
Do I need both a will and a trust?
A trust-based plan commonly includes a pour-over will for property that may still require probate administration. The Texas Family Trust Plan includes both a revocable living trust and a pour-over will.
Can I purchase only powers of attorney?
Yes. The Texas Power of Attorney Documents package is for people who already have a will or trust and need financial and medical incapacity documents. It does not replace an inheritance plan.
Does one purchase cover both spouses?
One Texas Family Will Plan purchase or Texas Family Trust Plan purchase can cover both spouses. The adult POA package has individual and couple options. Review the selected product page for current pricing and details.
Is online estate planning right for every family?
No. Self-guided planning is not a substitute for individualized legal advice. Complex tax, business, ownership, public-benefit, or family issues may require a separate attorney engagement.
Start With the Plan That Matches Your Goal
Texan Wills and Trusts is not a law firm. The self-guided plans include documents and recorded general information, not individualized legal advice. Optional legal services are available separately through Book Law Firm.
Updated August 22, 2026. Product prices and inclusions were checked on that date.