Newsworthy

Ending the Year on a High Note…Again!

This month, I was honored to be included in Houstonia Magazine’s list of “Top Lawyers” for 2014! This is the second year in a…

Planning for Special Circumstances

The Obituary of the Amazing Spider-Man

Most obituaries are sterile. They provide basic information about the deceased person’s birth, death, and those they left behind, but are short…

Newsworthy

How To Support Someone Who’s Grieving During The Holidays

A friend of mine who volunteers for hospice wondered out loud a couple of weeks ago: “Why is it that more people die around…

Newsworthy

A Life Cut Short

A friend of mine died this week. She wasn’t a close friend, but we had been members of the same group for many years, and saw each…

FAQs About Powers of Attorney and Directives

Would You Choose Physician-Assisted Suicide If You Had A Terminal Illness?

While standing in line at the grocery store a few days ago, the cover of People magazine caught my eye. It was a photograph of Brittany Maynard,…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will

Who Are My Heirs If I Am Single And Die Without A Will?

I explained last week that an heir is a person who will inherit your property by virtue of a state’s intestacy laws if you die without…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, FAQs About Wills

Is There A Difference Between A Beneficiary And An Heir?

The words “Beneficiary” and “Heir” are often used interchangeably, but each word has a very specific legal definition. A beneficiary is someone who benefits from the transfer…

Planning for Special Circumstances

What Are You Waiting For? The Blessing of Planning Ahead

Most of my clients are healthy when they contact me. Estate planning is something in which they are engaging as a precautionary measure rather…

Planning for Special Circumstances

Tips for Designating IRA Beneficiaries

Wendy S. Goffe wrote a great guest article on Forbes.com last week that offered tips to avoid problems that can result from incomplete or inaccurate IRA beneficiary…

FAQs About Wills, Probating a Will

Can The Beneficiary Of My Estate Also Be My Executor?

I’ve received several emails the past few weeks asking whether it is possible for a beneficiary of an estate to also serve as executor. Naming someone as…