The numbers are still small, but as Boomers age, the reverse mortgage may grow in popularity to maintain a certain quality of life. Reviled for years for high costs, today the reverse mortgage—sometimes referred to as a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECMs)—is a government-insurance loan that allows qualified seniors to…
Recent change in tax laws have many people rethinking their estate plans. Also, changes in the normal course of life make it a good idea for persons with estates that range from small to large to review wills, trusts, powers of attorney and beneficiary designations of insurance, IRAs, and other…
It is not easy to be a member of a military family. They face many challenges that civilians do not, and—all too often—they do not receive the support in two critical areas that could make a difference. Risks for Houston military families include accidents during training, battlefield injury and the…
Houston Millennials have a different perspective about love, money and family. Boomers have taught their children well. While nearly three quarters of boomers see a gift of money as an expression of love, according to a recent survey, their children don't see things the same way. These different values have…
Once again, the value of image and other intangibles will overshadow any other issue with a celebrity estate that is expected to break earnings records. The countdown on the estate tax liability for Prince's fortune has already begun, but arriving at the final number will not be easy and certainly…
Many young couples choose to hold off on estate planning because they feel they are too young to worry about estate planning and death. Maybe it’s because they think they don’t have enough assets to begin an estate plan or they just don’t want to think about death and what…
Yes, you have an organizational style. It may be chaos, or it may be hyper-organized. Either way it is still a style. Moving from paper to digital feels more organized, but it also requires management. There are a number of different ways to approach any problem, including getting financial documents…
People think that Medicaid will solve all financial problems if they or a spouse will need expensive medical care late in life. It's not that simple. Concerns about outliving assets or having all their wealth spent on nursing home care has led many Houstonians in different economic brackets to take…
Houston families with an Alzheimer's patient must address the issue of financial planning as well as care and treatment. A number of planning tools should be discussed once a diagnosis has been made. Any family faced with helping a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease has a…
Anyone who has cleaned out someone else's filing system knows that we all keep way more paperwork than needed. Spare your loved ones and get started now on cleaning up and creating a directory. Some people won't set foot into a supermarket without a shopping list. They are the people…