Estate Planning Lawyer

Estate Planning in a Virtual World for Houston Planners

Published on: March 25, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Roos said it’s important that people plan ahead and put “someone in charge of these digital assets and giving the family the opportunity to take over accounts if something were to happen, so they can control the information so it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.”

Have you heard the buzz about digital estate planning? For those with online accounts—this includes online bank accounts, social media accounts, and photography accounts—these are part of your digital estate. And just like your physical assets, your digital assets need protection too.

A recent kcra.com report, titled Have you planned your digital afterlife?, reminds us that a digital estate can cause real headaches for grieving loved ones who may be attempting to access those accounts. The report recommends that people write down their passwords and make sure their trusted relatives will have access.

“Downton Abbey” — A Good Lesson for Houston Families

Published on: March 24, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

The viewers of this high-end PBS costume drama, which takes place about a century ago, could very likely be your clients' demographic. Look at who's a top corporate sponsor: Viking River Cruises, which told The New York Times that “our demographic is affluent Baby Boomers 55+.” It's a big group: more than 10.1 million viewers watched the first episode of the fifth season in early January. Look closely and see if Downton can impart valuable financial lessons to you.

It can be difficult to explain to clients the ramifications of putting off their estate planning. Sometimes people have to “see it to believe it,” so to speak. Enter PBS hit series, Downton Abbey.

Downton Abbey follows the lives of the fictitious Crawley family who live in a grand English country house in the early 1900s. Downton’s characters can teach some valuable financial lessons, according to AccountingWEB’s recent post titled, “8 Lessons You and Your Clients Learn by Watching Downton Abbey.

Houston Family’s New to Estate Planning? See Helpful Guide

Published on: March 23, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Whether you want to provide for your family after your death or you just want to ensure that the process is as easy as possible for your family, estate planning is the easiest way to accomplish your goals.

What exactly is estate planning? Are you unsure of where to begin?

“Estate planning is simply the fancy legal term for deciding what to do with your stuff after you are gone,” according to The Cheat Sheet article titled “A Beginner’s Guide to Estate Planning.” Although no one really likes to talk about dying and what will happen when they die, it’s important to start planning. You really want to start your estate planning now while you are still living (of course!) and in sound mental and physical health. Planning allows you to choose what happens to your assets and prized possessions instead of a relative, friend—or worse—the probate court. With some basic estate planning, you can ease the burden on your loved ones of dealing with your estate.

Yes. YOU Do Need Estate Planning!

Published on: March 20, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Have you thought about dying lately? Most of us don't. Make sure you do some estate planning today before things get complicated.

End-of-life planning is not a fun topic to think about. Nobody wants to think about passing away, but is that going to change the inevitable? Not a chance.

A recent article in The Huffington Post, titled “Why We Avoid Estate Planning,”gives us reasons most of us avoid estate planning:

Important Documents For Houston Families: Before Dementia Strikes

Published on: March 18, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Accounting for the possibility of your own and your loved one’s eventual mental incapacity is a key part of any estate plan. If your loved one appears to be showing signs of diminishing mental acuity, ask if he or she has the proper documents in place. If so, find out who his or her agent(s) are so that you can alert them.

What if you or a loved one develops dementia? If you didn’t have the mental capacity to take care of yourself or your finances at some point, what would happen? You need to be prepared.

A recent articlein Physician’s Monthly Digest, titled “Dealing With a Loved One’s Cognitive Decline Is Simpler with Right Legal Documents in Place,”says that a healthcare proxy and a durable power of attorney are key legal documents to have before there are any signs of mental incapacitation. The documents allow you to designate another person to make medical and financial decisions on your behalf once you are unable to do so. This can be your spouse, an adult child, a friend, or a trusted adviser. Without a power of attorney, your spouse will need a court order to access any non-joint accounts that you have.

Farming and Other Property Tax Breaks May Net Good Yields for Your Houston Estate Plan

Published on: March 17, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

People who own as little as three acres and engage in agricultural practices such as hay harvesting, bee keeping, chicken raising, and designating land for grazing animals may find themselves rewarded by localities with an enormous discount of up to 95 percent on property taxes. This tax break — available in all states except Michigan — has made for some surprising members of the nation’s farming community. Consider Malcolm S. Forbes Jr., Jon Bon Jovi, and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, among many other famous business folk, celebrities, and politicians with a sideline in farming.

While most tax breaks for landowners occur in a single year, according to a recent Barron’s article, property-tax discounts awarded for agricultural activities are “reaped” annually, just like soy beans, corn, and alfalfa. Barron’s talks about these land tax breaks and more in an article titled “A Harvest of Land-Related Tax Breaks.”

Taxpayers using their land to grow timber can find benefits beyond the property-tax break: Timberland is great for wealth preservation. Even when land values or the demand for timber tails off, the trees on your farm continue to grow. Experts say that timber growth can provide an annual return of roughly 2 percent to 6 percent a year, and once you sell your timber, your profits are taxed as capital-gains, instead of higher income tax rates. It’s only when you manufacture products like pulp or poles from your timber crop that income tax will apply.

Daughter Fights to Ensure Father’s Proper Military Burial

Published on: March 16, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Until Feb. 20, when Missouri state authorities intervened to help Yvette James get control of her father's remains, James was stuck in a nightmare of red tape. All she wanted was to rightfully fulfill her father’s burial wishes, something she should have legally been allowed to do from the get-go.

It seems Yvette James was wrongly excluded from her father’s burial planning due, in large part, to her own military service. Even though she has the right to make those decisions under state law as the primary next of kin and only child, a funeral home allowed her cousin to make arrangements for the service and burial. This story was told in The Army Times, in an article titled“Soldier fights for right to bury her father.”

The cousin wanted to bury James’ father at a veterans’ cemetery in St. Louis. However, James wants to have her father cremated and buried at Arlington National Cemetery, as she plans to retire in Maryland. As James put it: "Arlington is the ultimate cemetery. My dad was so proud of his service. That's all he talked about. He did four years, and you'd think he did 30. He loved the Marines."

“The Widow Lincoln” Sheds Light on Financial Lessons for Houston Widows

Published on: March 13, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

As Mary Todd Lincoln’s character in “The Widow Lincoln” faces dozens of unpaid bills for home furnishings, clothes and jewelry, she asks, “How will I ever pay these debts? I am nothing. I am no one.” On top of moving out of the White House, mothering her sons and moving forward with her life, Lincoln must deal with all these financial stresses. She no longer has her husband to rely on for emotional support, income or an identity. It’s a crisis many women in the 21st century face, too.

A recent article in U.S. News & World Report, titled “Modern Money Lessons from Mary Todd Lincoln,” reports that experts recommend participating in money management throughout marriage and preparing for the possibility of one day being on your own, like many women eventually are, due to divorce or death.

Becoming a widow often means a drastic change and a new way of life, whether in 1865 or 2015. For many, it means understanding how to manage finances by yourself and experiencing less income, along with debilitating grief.

Divorced? Time to Update Your Houston Estate Plan and Beneficiaries

Published on: March 12, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Failure to do so — or to alert all relevant parties to the changes — could result in certain assets and benefits unintentionally going to your former spouse or his or her family upon your death.

A MarketWatch article, titled “Just divorced? Don’t forget to separate your estate plans,” shares a true life story of why we all need to pay close attention to our estate plans after a divorce.

Robyn Lewis executed a will in 1996 that named her then-husband to receive her property after her death. The property included the house—a home that had been in her family for generations. In her will she designated her then-father-in-law as the secondary beneficiary. Robyn ended up divorcing her husband, but no record was found of a change in her secondary beneficiary after the divorce.

Houston Estates Can Be Subject to Same Discord as Celebrity Estates

Published on: March 11, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Ernie Banks died on January 23rd at age 83 from a heart condition. Interestingly, his death certificate listed dementia as a “significant condition contributing” to his death. Why is that important? Well, three months before he died, Banks signed a new set of estate planning documents, including a power of attorney, healthcare directive, new will, and a trust.

Ernie Banks signed a new set of estate planning documents that left his caregiver and talent agent, Regina Rice, in control of everything. This new will and trust totally left out his family members and named Rice as his sole beneficiary. Rice would stand to inherit not only whatever assets and wealth Ernie Banks accumulated during his life, but the right to control (and profit from) his name, likeness, and image.

Since Banks had dementia and made these changes a mere three months before his death, his children are planning to take Rice to court over Banks’ estate. Houston families should make note of family dynamics that could place estate planning in jeopardy.