Schwab-Pomerantz and Cuthbertson, who is publishing director at Schwab, have put together a comprehensive guide that will help you plan for retirement. If you need to plan for your retirement, you may feel overwhelmed to even start the process. What steps do you need to take first? What type of…
Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog
Joan Rivers’ Dream Hollywood Funeral – Is It Tax Deductible?
On September 4, 2014, comedy icon Joan Rivers passed away. It's no secret that Rivers hoped for a funeral that rivaled her lifestyle: big and over the top. Craft services. Paparazzi. Meryl Streep crying in five different accents. These are just a few of the wishes the late Joan Rivers…
Houston’s Billionaire, Bunny and Big Court Battle
After nearly 20 years of litigation and fighting in the press, the conflict between the estates of Anna Nicole Smith and her billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall has been resolved. A celebrity estate battle that held center state in Houston gives us another valuable estate planning lesson. A recent WealthManagement.com…
Houston Home Owners: Make Note of New Reverse Mortgage Rules
In a decision issued September 30, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with AARP and told HUD to find a way to shield surviving spouses from foreclosure and eviction. A recent Elder Law Answers article, titled "Feds Move to Protect Some Surviving Spouses of Reverse Mortgage Holders,"…
Can Houston Baby Boomers Re-Write the Rules for Retirement?
As the Boomer Generation continues to re-write the rules, the call for redefining "retirement" is growing louder each year. Our parents referred to their retirement years as "The Golden Years." However, our generation demands a completely new definition for "retirement." We're not happy with a word that shares a meaning…
Houston: Do You Know If Digital Assets Die With You?
Death is emotionally difficult enough without discovering that you have no idea what digital assets a person had or what they wanted done with them. A growing concern among those wishing to properly manage their digital estate is "digital death," which questions what is an asset or special relationship—and how…
Plan Now for the “What Ifs” of Life in Houston
The most important thing for any patient with a long-term illness is to focus on his overall health and mental outlook. Having financial plans in place allows a patient to set other worries aside. How do you plan for future illnesses or tragedies? The "what ifs" of life are all…
Hollywood Couple’s May-December Marriage Sheds Light on Estate Planning Challenges
Lauren Bacall's loss of husband Humphrey Bogart when her children were young does point to some of the issues surviving spouses face when there is a difference of age of 20 years or more. Of course, May-December marriages don't only happen in Hollywood, and the resources and circumstances can be…
Houston Boomers – Beware of These Estate Planning Blunders
David Cutner, partner at Lamson & Cutner, attorneys for the elderly and disabled offered the following tips for both estate planning and long-term care for boomers. A recent Fox Business article reported that the majority of seniors are completely in the dark on one of the biggest financial risks they are…
Houston Scam Alert! Don’t Fall Victim to Estate Planning Cons
Constantly in the news, it seems like there is a new scam making headlines. One surprising area in which scams are becoming more common is estate planning. Each year, more people fall victim to unscrupulous and unqualified sellers of ineffective estate planning documents. Often, these scammers are door-to-door salesmen or…