Annual exams are a part of life. As we age, these appointments grow more and more important to catch potential issues before they become serious. Similarly, due to ever-changing tax laws and interpersonal relationships, it’s a good idea for clients to review their estate plan regularly. When your estate plan is written, it reflects the situation […]
The number of marriages in Texas has been in steady decline for years. The reasons for this vary, but it hardly means love or romance is dead. Most young couples choose instead to cohabitate, effectively acting as a married couple without the formality of a ceremony or even creating a common law marriage. Yet, these unmarried […]
Your retirement account provides asset protection during your lifetime, but as soon as you pass that account to a loved one, that protection evaporates. When a loved one inherits your retirement account, creditors can seize it and use the funds to satisfy their claims. All it takes is one lawsuit and your life savings could be […]
Although spouses receive special treatment when inheriting a retirement account such as an IRA (the ability to roll over the account into a personal retirement account and to stretch the distributions over their lifetime), the retirement account you leave for your spouse can still be seized in a divorce, a lawsuit, or a bankruptcy proceeding. It […]
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), from 1986 through 2018, tens of millions of firearms were both manufactured in and imported into the United States.[1] Where are those guns today? They are most likely filling gun safes, closets, nightstands, and desk drawers in homes all across this country. Regardless of whether […]
The death of a loved one is never easy. Regardless of your relationship with the deceased, you need space and time to process and grieve your loss. Once you have had time to cope with all that has happened, you should consider updating your own estate plan in light of your loved one’s death. We are […]
Having a clear conversation about death and dying is never fun. Most people avoid them because they invoke feelings about our inevitable demise. Broaching this subject can be particularly difficult for parents and their adult children. Adult children may avoid bringing up the topic for different reasons. The most common are they don’t want to think […]
The most common stated goal of estate planning is to avoid probate. While a relatively straightforward process in Texas, probate can be somewhat costly and does require a time investment. Finally, when probating a will, that information becomes a matter of public record, all of which most people prefer to avoid. Whether or not your estate […]
