Common Estate Planning Mistakes, Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Your Estate Plan May Need To Be Tweaked: The SECURE Act Has Passed

Rania Combs discusses how the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) may require changes to your estate plan.

Odds and Ends

Happy Holidays!

One of my favorite poems is one Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about success. Although many in our world define success by how much money one earns, the…

Choosing a Guardian, Estate Planning

Must a Court Honor Parents’ Appointment of Guardian?

The issue that drives most parents to engage in estate planning is appointing a guardian for their children. Texas gives parents to right to appoint a…

Estate Planning, The Texas Transfer on Death Deed

Can I Revoke A Transfer On Death Deed By Will?

Suppose you signed and recorded a Texas Transfer on Death Deed naming your girlfriend as the beneficiary of your house. You had been together for several years…

Wacky Wills

Wacky Wednesday: Wills That Make You Go “Hmmm…: Reuben John Smith

NB: This post is part of a series highlighting wills that contain some interesting, and sometimes bizarre, bequests and stipulations. You can see all these posts here.

FAQs About Trusts, Trusts

Is Married Beneficiary’s Interest in a Trust Separate or Community Property?

Texas defines separate property as property owned before marriage or acquired by gift or inheritance. For example, if you purchased a house before you were married, the house…

FAQs About Powers of Attorney and Directives

Can Life Support Be Withheld If A Patient Has Not Signed A Directive To Physicians?

Most Americans have not executed basic estate planning documents. Studies show that more than half of Americans have not executed a basic will. Even fewer have executed…

Estate Planning, FAQs About Estate Planning

Who Will Take Care of My Pets After I Die?

My dog’s name is Jilly. My family adopted her several months after Elway died. We weren’t really looking to adopt another pet so quickly, but we…

Estate Planning, Retirement and End of Life Care

How is an Out-Of-Hospital DNR Different from a Directive to Physicians?

A directive to physicians, also known as a living Will, is a document that allows you specify what kind of life-sustaining treatment should be administered or withheld…

Estate Planning, FAQs About Estate Planning

Keeping the Peace from Beyond the Grave

It’s every parent’s dream to maintain close relationships with all their children as they age. But sometimes, things don’t turn out as parents plan. The reasons vary. A…