When discussing Houston estate planning, there are likely to be many unfamiliar terms. Among these terms is the concept of “probate.” Probate is the part of the process by which assets are transferred after death, and specifically refers to the validation of a person’s will. However, the probate process is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Facebook has become the source of revolutions, personal journeys, and now, estate battles. When one of America's most admired art collectors passed away last year, she had an estate plan in place. Her husband of 14 years apparently didn't like the terms and is challenging the will. Her adult children…
If you don't remember who your beneficiaries are for your investment accounts, insurance policies or annuity contracts, then you need to carve out some time to go through your accounts and see who you named as your beneficiary. If it's been a while, you may be in for a rude…
Regardless of the ultimate outcome – passing the farm to the next generation or selling it – creating a plan for the future requires a lot of groundwork and the help of an estate planning attorney with experience in family farm matters, according to The High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal's article,…
For a generation that is proud of their ability to ignore all kinds of taboos, millennials are no different than any other generation when it comes to discussing end-of-life care and estate planning with their parents. It's up to you, Baby Boomers, to initiate the conversation with your millennial children…
From the following Forbes article, "8 Reasons to Revise Your Estate Plan Today," we learn that 51% of Americans age 55 – 64 don't have a Will. That's bad news for their families, who will have to deal with the estate plan default: whatever the rules are for their state. But…