Despite countless celebrity estate battles, most Americans still put off having a will created. Think of a will as an itinerary for your family that will make their lives easier once you are gone. Prince was clearly busy with performing, writing, recording and creating. But that's still not a good…
One Chief Justice's seemingly simplistic will was the target of a lot of humor. Tongues wagged in Washington that he had utterly failed to do any estate planning. The gossips had it all wrong. It may be surprising to outsiders, but Washington D.C. actually functions in many ways as a…
Survivorship Life Insurance is a very useful part of an estate plan, but it is not as widely discussed as many other forms of life insurance. A skilled insurance professional and your Houston estate planning attorney should work together for the best outcome. In "Survivorship Life Insurance Useful for Estate…
Financial planning needs to be part of the equation when doing all of the work involved in bringing a new family member into your lives. The cost of adoption can start at a few hundred dollars or it can easily exceed $40,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and…
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…