Blog
Creating a comprehensive plan to distribute your assets and provide for your loved ones after your death is one of the more challenging, but rewarding tasks you will undertake. Estate planning, however, is more than just establishing a last will and testament or a trust agreement. A separate document, called a durable power of attorney, ensures that your affairs are… Read More
In America, anyone can sue for just about anything. But the question is always whether they can win the lawsuit. Challenging a last will and testament or a revocable trust is no different. Disgruntled family members such as children or a spouse from a previous marriage, or an any individual who might be expecting to inherit a larger share of… Read More
If you are currently struggling to choose a decision maker for yourself, know you are not alone. Many people have difficulty deciding who they want to carry out tough decisions for them on their behalf. A decision maker might have to make legal, financial and medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated. These decisions will have an effect on… Read More
Hurricane Harvey has revealed just how important paper documents continue to be, even in the digital age. It is incredibly frustrating to be denied the help you need to get your life back together because the disaster that caused your problems also destroyed the paperwork you are being asked to provide to prove you qualify for assistance. Below is a…Read More
Over the past few weeks I have been awed by both the destructive force of Hurricane Harvey and the resilience and generosity of my fellow Texans. Some areas got over 40 inches of rain as the mighty storm hovered over our state. The resulting flooding, not to mention the winds and other flooding caused by the storm surge, took lives…Read More
We all owe a great debt of gratitude to President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texas native, for making the dream of a program that would ensure the poor and aged were “spared the darkness of sickness without hope” a reality. Starting with FDR, many presidents had proposed a program that would provide for the basic medical needs of those who…Read More
As a Texan, I have a special place in my heart for the television show King of the Hill. Although its final season wrapped in 2009, you can still catch reruns almost every day. Well, the other day one of my favorite episodes was on; the one where Hank finds out he is the executor of his late father’s estate. As you…Read More
Do you have any idea how much “digital exhaust” you are emitting? If you have no idea because you have never heard of the like, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Digital exhaust is a new term tech companies have come up with to describe the digital assets and output of the average person. So much of our lives are connected to the…Read More
Trusts are at the heart of nearly every modern estate plan because they can help their creator avoid probate, preserve wealth, and have a bit more control over what happens to an estate after death. The most challenging aspect of estate planning using trusts is finding a trustee that can manage the workload required to make a trust work well.…Read More
A lot of estate planning advice focuses on how to pass on wealth to the next generation. This is important information, but ignores the fact that assets aren’t the only thing that are passed on after a death. Debts are often passed on as well. A recent article in Time highlighted a new study that found “…73% of American consumers die in…Read More