Here's an ethical dilemma. You learn that your late mother had a safe with $100,000 cash in it after the estate has been finalized. Do you pocket the cash and tell no one, or add it to her assets? The temptation is obvious, but the right and legal thing to…
Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog
New York Proposes Law to Help Preserve Elderly Victim’s Testimony
The New York State Senate has passed a bill that will make it possible for testimony given by elderly witness to be preserved and used in criminal cases against their abusers, even if the elderly person has passed away or become incapacitated. WHEC reported in its news article, "Senate passes…
Protect Your Houston Business with Estate Planning
It's amazing how quickly a business can get picked to pieces after the death of an owner. With the use of good estate planning, according to The Huffington Post article, "5 Things Estate Planning Can Do for You and Your Business," you can protect your business and your legacy. Otherwise,…
Estate Planning: Preventative Therapy for Houston Family Members?
Something happens when money and possessions are involved, putting even the best of family relationships at risk, according to "Keeping the Peace Between Adult Children in Estate Planning" from The Huffington Post. The best strategy is advance planning and lots of candid discussions. Although American retirees have been ranked high…
Will You Need to Apply for Medicaid?
People put off thinking about or planning to apply for Medicaid because there is nothing pleasant about it, from coming to terms with being ill and impoverished to sharing a nursing home room with a stranger, according to USA Today in "Navigating Medicaid for elder care can be as painful…
Every Houston Family Needs Estate Planning, Especially When It’s Complicated
A will is the best known estate planning document; it provides instructions about how to distribute your assets after death. There are many different kinds of trusts, and whether you need one or more than one is best determined with the help of an experienced estate planning attorney. There is…
Protect Your Houston Retirement – Avoid These Three Mistakes
Reality kicks in when the year or actual date of your retirement is around the corner and you realize that your retirement finances aren't what you had thought they would be. For many, this means their retirement includes part time employment or not retiring at all. Harsh lessons, which can…
Spring Cleaning? Don’t Forget Your Houston Estate Plan
Throw open your windows, put the screens back in and get ready for more outdoor time, whether that means gardening or walks in the park. While you are at it, refresh your estate plan. If it has been three years or more since you last had it reviewed, it is…
Survey Shows Wealthy Clients Need Solid Communication Regarding Houston Estate Plan
More times than one would think, the very wealthy start the process of working with an estate planning attorney, discussing the plan and figuring out how to achieve specific goals. But many stop short of actually executing the plan. What leads this to happen? In an attempt to understand why…
Life Changes in Houston? Check Your Life Insurance
In "3 ways to choose the right life insurance plan," the New York Daily News invites readers to consider how their lives have changed over the decades, and how their insurance should change too. Young adults have some pretty straightforward insurance needs like obtaining insurance for their first car, insuring…