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Articles Posted in Estate Planning

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Have You Planned for Your Digital Estate?

Portland attorney Victoria Blachly said people can avoid the personal, financial and in some cases legal headaches that come with losing access to their online accounts by creating a Virtual Asset Instruction Letter where they list their online accounts, the passwords they use to access each one, and instructions explaining…

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Women Have Important Estate Planning Considerations to Address

In the absence of a well-crafted estate plan, women can be affected more often and more directly than men.  According to www.forbes.com, women live longer than men, on average, and tend to marry older spouses; this makes women three times more likely as men to be widowed at age 65. …

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Wisconsin’s Northland College Receives $200K from Local Bar Owner

A bar owner who never attended college has left $200,000 to the alma mater of her best customers. Ida F. Meyer of Lake Placid, Fla., died March 22 at 103 years of age. “I might as well give it back to the College,” she told her attorney Michael A. Rider,…

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Divorced? Update Beneficiary Designations

Fran had just learned that her deceased husband Ed’s life insurance proceeds were going to be paid to his ex-wife Sally. As Fran found out from her lawyer, beneficiary designations can be the trump card of estate planning. You heard that right. The ex-wife Sally will get the life insurance…

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You’re Getting Married? Is Your Estate Plan Current?

At some point, everyone needs to consider estate planning. It’s time to create an up-to-date estate plan when you experience one of these life events. Think estate planning isn’t for you? Think again! And it’s not just a one-time deal; changes in your life should result in changes to your…

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Pre-Retirement To-Do’s for Houston Boomers

Don’t wait until the very last minute to make sure you are prepared, says Michael H. Milarski, a partner and senior financial advisor with Signature Financial Planning. Have you checked your list and you’re sure you’re ready to retire? You may have a few items to address before your golden…

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Time to Review Your Houston Estate Plan: 4 Key Dates

So how do you know if your estate plan is out-of-date?  If your will or trust predates these four key “freshness dates,” it may be time to visit your attorney for a review. Estate plans are not meant to be a one-time deal. If life changes – or the law…

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Crummey Trusts: Viable Tool for Houston Families?

Actually the trusts are Crummey trusts named after one D. Clifford Crummey who won a decision in the Ninth Circuit in 1968, when I was just a high school lad.  Israel and Erna Mikel were just in Tax Court showing how powerful the Crummey power can be as they used…

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Guardianship Selected for Bobbi Kristina Brown

“We are delighted to inform the public that the court has appointed Bobby Brown and Pat Houston as co-guardians of Bobbi Kristina Brown (‘Krissi’),” read a statement issued by David Long-Daniels, counsel for Pat Houston and Cissy Houston, and Christopher Brown, an attorney for Bobby Brown. “Both Mr. Brown and…

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Houston Investors Should Organize Finances for Ease in Planning

There are several corners of your financial life that can be simplified through consolidation. If you feel like your finances are all over the place and hard to manage, you just need to take a moment to de-clutter and get a system going.  Also, it’s ok to ask for help!…

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