Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog

Creating a Houston Life Care Plan for Aging Loved Ones

Published on: August 3, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

As people age, it becomes even more important to plan ahead for unexpected illnesses and disabilities. While creating an estate plan may seem like enough, a life care plan can help to ease the stress that comes with taking care of an elderly loved one. This is critical because it defines and organizes all aspects of a senior’s care. By establishing a Houston life care plan, a family can be prepared for any future care needs that may arise and feel confident in their decision.

What is a Life Care Plan?

A life care plan is a holistic look at your specific planning options, choices, and decisions. Besides including an estate plan, the life care plan will address the legal, financial, housing, and long-term care issues caused by the loved one’s chronic illness, disability, or even just their aging. Unlike traditional estate planning which focuses on preserving an elderly loved one’s hard-earned money for future generations, life care planning focuses on maximizing their quality of life and independence. Because there are a lot of unexpected situations that arise when a loved one continues to age, developing a life care plan allows families to be prepared for any situation that might arise. Overall, the goal of life care planning is to promote and maintain the health, safety, and well-being of the elder and their family.

What You Need to Know About Texas Elder Law

Published on: July 28, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

As a person gets older, the legal issues they encounter differ from those that other people face. To address these needs, Elder Law is a relatively new practice area that focuses on the issues affecting the aging population, helping to prepare them, and their loved ones, for any future problems that might arise. As Elder Law deals with some of society’s most vulnerable people, attorneys who work in this practice area take into account the difficulties that accompany the aging process. The practice of Houston Elder Law encompasses many different areas of law. Below are some issues normally included within the practice of Elder Law.

Securing Senior Housing

Helping a senior transition to a new housing arrangement can often be difficult. Elder Law attorneys are often consulted to assess an elderly person’s situation and determine whether a nursing home or life care community is necessary. If a move to a nursing home is required, Elder Law attorneys will help explore all housing options, investigate nursing home quality and inform seniors of their patient rights.

Solving Common Houston Estate Planning Disputes

Published on: July 24, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

When a loved one passes away, it is often a very tragic time for the family. However, it can be even more upsetting when the person dies without a will, and there is a family dispute over the contents of the estate. While having a thorough Houston estate plan can minimize the risk of disputes, there is still the possibility that issues will arise. Below are some common estate problems and solutions.

Conflicts with the Estate Executor

A family dispute with an estate’s executor or administrator is a regular estate planning issue. When an executor is appointed to manage the estate after a person passes away, there can be a conflict if family members disagree with the executor’s choices. These disputes include if the family believes the executor was poorly chosen or if the executor is engaged in the mismanagement of the estate, including possible fraud. In these cases, it may be necessary to have the executor removed and replaced. Because it may be difficult to find an executor that family members are satisfied with, it is often useful to find a neutral outsider who does not stand to inherit any of the estate property.

These Texas Estate Planning Strategies Will No Longer Help Avoid Medicaid Penalties

Published on: July 22, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

When putting together a thorough Houston estate plan, one important consideration is how care expenses will be paid later in life. This includes long-term care planning, which can be one of the most significant expenses for older Americans. For those with limited assets, Medicaid will typically pay for nursing home expenses.

Many people anticipating the need for long-term care have used several methods for gifting assets to others in order to qualify for this benefit. The goal of Medicaid planning is to qualify for Medicaid benefits that cover long-term care, while minimizing the penalty that would result from the transfer. Recent changes to Medicaid laws have rendered several of these methods that were formerly used to achieve these objectives obsolete. Below are a couple of strategies that will no longer be effective, moving forward.

The “Half a Loaf” Strategy

How Do I Start My Houston Estate Plan?

Published on: July 20, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

“Estate planning design and implementation is not only complex but can be highly emotional. Therefore, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the estate planning process, before approaching a professional.”

The decision to start an estate plan is critical for all families, but it can also be a challenge. In many cases, the greatest impediment families face initially is discussing death, especially the deaths of family members. Forbes’ recent article entitled “Estate Planning 101: Tackling Your Estate Plan” suggests several life events that will trigger the need to create an estate plan for your family or business.

The article also reminds us that it’s important to think about what might happen to you or someone in your family, in the event of a substantial life change. Here are some life events that can necessitate the need for an estate plan and a visit with your attorney:

For Houston Business Owners, Business Succession Planning is a Must

Published on: July 17, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

There are few challenges as rewarding as running a successful business. Business owners pour years of hard work into pursuing passions that are about more than just making money. So it makes sense that many business owners prefer to have a say in what happens to their business after they leave it. That is why it is important for all Houston business owners to have a plan for succession in place in case something happens that prevents them from being able to run their business.

Like prudent estate planning, creating a business succession plan requires some thought. The options are numerous, and what is right for one person or business will not necessarily be right for another. Here are some things to consider when it comes to crafting a business succession plan:

Type of Business Entity

How Do Farmers Start an Estate Plan?

Published on: July 16, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

“Planning for the end of your life can be intimidating. When you are a farmer, your business is not only your livelihood and your passion, but, often, it is also intermingled with your family life. For that reason, estate planning — arranging for the management of your assets once you die — is especially important for aging farmers.”

The Bangor Daily News explains in its article “How farmers can start an estate plan” that we all know we’re going to die, but it’s not our favorite thing to talk about. However, it’s important to start these conversations.

The article helps aging farmers who want to get started with the estate planning process, by sharing some tips to clear up some of the confusion, eliminate questions in the process and motivate you to begin your estate planning journey.

Avoiding Probate Through Effective Texas Estate Planning

Published on: July 14, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Depending on the situation, the probate process can be a nightmare. For this reason, many believe probate should be avoided whenever possible. However, avoiding probate depends on the circumstances of each individual situation. While creating a Houston estate plan that avoids probate will be beneficial in most circumstances, there are certainly some situations where the level of planning required to avoid probate is unnecessary.

What is Probate?

Probate is the court-guided process through which a decedent’s property is distributed accordingly. Through this process, the court authenticates the decedent’s will, notifies potential heirs, accounts for the decedent’s property, and addresses tax obligations before estate property is distributed to beneficiaries. The court is also responsible for appointing an executor of the estate to oversee the process and protect the interests of the estate and its beneficiaries. In the case of an intestate estate (where the decedent dies without a will) probate serves the same functions, with the only difference being that property is ultimately distributed according to state intestacy laws.

Important Houston Estate Planning Tools for Unmarried Couples

Published on: July 9, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

For individuals of all ages and familial structures, it is important to have a comprehensive Houston estate plan for two reasons. First, it provides instructions regarding the distribution of someone’s hard-earned assets, ensuring that their property is distributed according to their desires. Second, an estate plan provides end-of-life instructions that can help ensure an individual’s last days can be spent peacefully. While an estate plans should be a priority for any individual or family, an estate plan is even more critical for those in long-term relationships with someone whom they are not married to.

For unmarried couples, if one partner dies without an estate plan the results can be disastrous. State law assumes and protects the interests of married partners by ensuring them part of the estate through communal property. Married partners also have the presumed right to make medical and other important decisions on behalf of their significant other. Unmarried couples on the other hand do not have the same sort of protection. If one partner dies or becomes incapacitated, the other partner can only inherit from their estate or make important decisions on their behalf if careful estate planning has not already taken place. Below is a list of estate planning tools that are useful for unmarried couples who want to protect and provide for one another.

1. Will

Adding a Special Needs Trust to Your Houston Estate Plan

Published on: July 6, 2020 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

For families with children, creating a comprehensive Houston estate plan is critically important. The need for such planning is even more important for those with children who have special needs. As with all parents, proper planning is the only way to ensure that children will be properly cared for if their parents pass away prematurely. However, children with special needs may have very specific needs that must be met. If these needs are not addressed in their parents’ estate plan, they are less likely to be cared for should one or both parents pass away. Furthermore, based on the severity of the child’s disability, parents may need to plan for ways to meet such needs long into adulthood.

One of the most common estate planning tools for parents with special needs children are trusts. A trust is an arrangement where property is placed under the ownership and care of a trustee for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries. It is almost always a good idea for parents of a special needs child to provide for the creation of a trust naming that child as a beneficiary. However, the creation of a trust is not the only thing for parents to consider. Here are a few estate-planning considerations for parents interested in creating a trust for their child with special needs.

Choosing the Right Type of Trust