I received a note recently from someone asking if it was possible for her to fight the intestacy laws. She and her husband had been married for 31…
A lot of people mistakenly assume that all jointly-held property automatically passes to a surviving spouse when one spouse dies. That is not necessarily the case. Jointly-held…
I always schedule a document review conference with my clients before they sign their Wills. It gives my clients the opportunity to ask questions they may have…
When someone receives a gift, the recipient of the gift is not responsible for reporting the value of any gifts as income. Rather, it is the gift-giver,…
Humans are optimistic. We don’t dwell on the fact that death is inevitable, and that bleeds into our personal outlook for the future. It’s why we plan…
A testamentary trust is a dormant trust created in a Will. It lies dormant until the death of the person creating it springs it to life. Unlike…
My family is going on vacation the end of June. It’s a trip we’ve been planning for more than six months, and we’re looking…
Section 251.051 of the Texas Estates Code sets forth the requirements of a valid Will in Texas. It provides that a last will and testament: must…