FAQs About Probate

Is It Always Necessary to Probate a Will in Texas?

It is necessary to probate a Will in Texas when the estate includes assets titled in the decedent’s name. A person who dies typically has two classes of…

FAQs About Wills

Can I Make Handwritten Changes To a Typewritten Will?

Handwritten changes a Testator makes before signing a typewritten Will are valid; however, handwritten changes made after signing a Will be disregarded unless the Testator observes all the…

Estate Planning, Odds and Ends, Uncategorized

Beware the Rise of Voice Cloning Scams

Cybercriminals are using AI to mimic the voices of our family members. Learn how to protect yourself from voice-cloning scams.

Uncategorized

What is a Miller Trust?

A Miller Trust, or qualified income trust, is an irrevocable trust that allows individuals qualify for Medicaid long-term care services, such as nursing home care, when they earn…

Probating a Will

Who Can Apply for Probate in Texas?

Usually, a person a testator nominates as executor in a Will applies for probate, but not always. The Texas Estates Code provides that any interested person can…

FAQs About Wills

What is a Holographic Will?

A holographic Will is a handwritten Will. And there have been some strange ones. For example, can you imagine writing your will on your bedroom wall? How…

Uncategorized

What Is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)?

An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, or “ILIT” is an irrevocable trust that own life insurance.  Historically, Americans have used ILITs as a vehicle to make gifts to beneficiaries…

FAQs About Powers of Attorney and Directives, Incapacity

Can Physicians in Texas Withhold Life Support Against Patient’s Wishes?

Most of the time, Directive to Physicians are signed by patients who do not want their lives prolonged by life-sustaining treatments; however, sometimes the situation is reversed. For…

Choosing a Guardian

Who Will Raise My Children if I Die Without Naming Guardians?

The thing that drives most young parents to plan to make a will is not their stuff, but who will take care of our minor children if…

Uncategorized, Wacky Wills, Wills

Even Ancient Egyptians Wrote Wills!

Last July, I stumbled upon an ancient Will while visiting the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. As an estate planning lawyer, I was delighted.  Will of Naunakhte The Will, written…