Michael Bond, who passed away back in June of 2017, was an author and the creator of the adventurous, sweet and captivating character, Paddington Bear. Bond created the marmalade-loving bear from the “darkest Peru” in the late 1950’s out of his memories of refugee children in the Second World War. He wondered what would happen if an […]
All too often we hear of some new con method scammers have come up with. The most recent tactic in the Austin area has been home improvement scams. Mr. Jason Lugo of Mr.512 Handyman & Hauling, a locally owned construction and hauling company, has had firsthand experience with this scam in the Austin area.
The plot of the scam usually develops as follows: A “contractor” will come to your door and claim they were already in your neighborhood, maybe doing work for a neighbor. They often target senior citizens. They will tell you that they have noticed damage to the outside of your home or that you are in need of some general upkeep of your home (i.e. replace your gutters or siding). The “contractor” will usually then have you sign a contract and make a down payment for the job you agree to, and leave, with you never seeing or hearing from them again.
During the home buying process, you worked with a lot of individuals: your realtor, the seller’s realtor, the title company, the loan officer, and the home inspector. Now that you have finalized the purchase of your house, there is one more expert you need to call: your estate planning attorney. Aligning Your Ownership with Existing Estate […]
There are many ways to own your assets. When you die, it is only natural that you want your family to share in the bounty of your hard work. As a way to simplify the transfer process and avoid probate, you may be tempted to add a child or other relative to the deed or bank account utilizing the ownership type of joint tenancy with right of survivorship (JTROS). However, while this type of ownership delivers a lot of potential benefits, it may also be masking some dangerous pitfalls.
Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling on a case involving life insurance beneficiary designations after divorce. Mark Sveen had named his wife as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. They got divorced, but Mr. Sveen did not update the beneficiary. Court ruled that divorce invalidated the beneficiary designation in favor of […]
No one wants to discuss death and dying. And yet, it’s a critical time in everyone’s life and one for which we know we need to prepare. While many people have the desire to share their wishes, something is preventing people from having end-of-life conversations with their families. As an important part of estate planning, healthcare […]
On his HBO show, Last Week Tonight, John Oliver recently provided a scary, funny, and occasionally explicit explanation of how guardianship works. The video is embedded above, and we encourage you to watch it (as long as there aren’t any children around!). What is a Guardian? As explained in the video, a guardian is someone […]
Poor estate planning is a recipe for disaster. Look no further than Dickens’ Bleak House—or a telenovela—to witness the tragedy and melodrama inadequate estate planning can cause. While having your estate planning documents prepared is the first hurdle to overcoming these types of disasters, there are several threats that lurk around the corner that might derail your wishes. A little planning can help you avoid these threats to successful estate planning.
