Estate Planning Resources

Articles and guides to help you understand your options for protecting your family and your assets in Texas and North Carolina.

Celebrating Five Years!

When I started my law firm years ago, I was nervous. Petrified, actually. I had always worked for other attorneys before, so I never had to be a rainmaker or run a business. Naturally, I

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 row I have received this honor. Houstonia Magazine’s selection was based

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 on capturing the personality of the person who has died. Aaron Joseph Purmort’s

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 the holidays?” “Really?”  I asked. “Is there actually data to support

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 other at meetings and various social gatherings. Although

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, a 29 year-old woman with terminal brain cancer

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 a Will. The Texas intestacy statutes are essentially a

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 of property, such as by a Will or

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 than because they expect to die within a short amount of

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 designations. Below are her recommendations Name a primary

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