What happens when I die?

According to Erik, there are really only two possibilities: your family has a plan, or they don't.

If they have a plan, they know exactly who to call, where important documents are, and what steps to take next. If they don't, they're in for a ride.

In this episode of Erik Martin Says, Erik challenges listeners to think beyond their own mortality and focus on the people they'll leave behind. What would happen in the moments after your death? Would your family know what to do? Would they know who to call? Or would they be left trying to figure it all out while grieving?

Erik and Leslie discuss why they're working to make conversations about death more approachable, share stories from the FWAPL (Fort Worth Association of Professional Landmen) Golf Tournament, and break down the practical realities families face after a loved one passes away.

Topics include:

• What happens immediately after someone dies

• The two paths: having a plan vs. having no plan

• Who your family should call first

• Why planning is really about the people you leave behind

• Making death conversations approachable

• How to reduce stress for your loved ones

• The FWAPL Golf Tournament

The goal isn't to dwell on death—it's to make life a little easier for the people you love most.

Most people don’t think about an estate plan until it’s too late… mostly because it’s kind of a drag.

In this first episode of Erik Martin Says, estate planning attorney Erik Martin sits down with Leslie Downs to talk about the question almost everyone avoids:

What actually happens if you die without a will in Texas? (That is, if you’re lucky enough to be a Texan.)

This isn’t a legal lecture. It’s a real conversation about what families experience when there’s no plan in place: confusion, court involvement, and decisions being made by the state instead of the people you love.

Leslie brings the questions most people are thinking but rarely say out loud: “I don’t even have an estate… do I need a plan?” And Erik breaks down what actually happens based on his real-life experience as an estate planning attorney.

Together, they open the door to conversations most people avoid, but almost everyone needs.

Because it’s not really about death, it’s about what happens to the people you leave behind.