FAQs About Wills, Planning for Special Circumstances

The Characterization of Property in Texas

I have written before that the characterization of property as separate or community dictates who inherits property when a married person dies without a Will in…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Can I Sign My Will Electronically in Texas?

UPDATE: On April 8, 2020, Governor Abbott issued an order temporarily allowing regular notaries to notarize the following documents by video conference: durable powers of attorney, medical powers…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

How to Sign Estate Planning Documents in a Pandemic

UPDATE: On April 8, 2020, Governor Abbott issued an order temporarily allowing regular notaries to notarize the following documents by video conference: durable powers of attorney, medical powers…

Odds and Ends

Who Can Make Funeral Arrangements in Texas When There Isn’t a Will?

A man died without a Will. He died unmarried, with two children, one 19 and the other 17. However, he and his children had been estranged for least…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Planning for a PandemicFor a summary of CDC recommendations for adults over 60, read:

My children asked me yesterday how many times in my life the world has dealt with a pandemic like COVID-19. I couldn’t think of any other. COVID-19…

Odds and Ends

Beware of Social Security Scams

My husband and I disconnected our home phone number recently. We both have cell phones, and it seemed like the only calls we received were sales calls…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

Who Are The Heirs of a Single Person With No Surviving Parents or Children Who Dies Without a Will?

When an unmarried person dies without a Will in Texas, the Texas Intestacy Statutes control how their property will be distributed. The intestacy statutes are the…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

What is a Laughing Heir?

I heard about “laughing heirs” for the first time during my Wills, Trusts, and Estates class in law school. A laughing heir is an heir of an estate…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Will Transferring My Homestead to a Revocable Trust Prevent Me From Qualifying For Medicaid?

Medicaid is a means-tested benefit that provides health insurance for Americans with limited financial resources and income. To be eligible for Medicaid coverage, applicants can have no…

FAQs About Probate, Probate

What are Valid Reasons to Contest Will in Texas?

His dad had been sick and weak. He didn’t even have the strength to write his own name. Nevertheless, after his father died, his stepmother produced a…