Asking someone to serve as your fiduciary (trustee of your trust or personal representative or executor under your last will and testament) is not something you should do lightly. Serving as a fiduciary is a heavy responsibility that requires significant time and effort. If you plan to nominate a family member or friend to serve in […]
Clients often naturally choose their children to be beneficiaries of their revocable living trusts. Many clients also wish to name one or more of their children as the trustee of that trust, but are not sure if that is allowed by the law. The short answer is yes, you can have a trustee who is also […]
In the world of estate planning, terms that refer to legal documents such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives can be confusing and even overwhelming at times. What is a will, and how does it differ from a trust? What distinguishes a springing power of attorney from an immediate power of attorney? Or […]
An estate plan that includes a revocable living trust is an excellent way to protect yourself and your loved ones upon your passing or in the event you are unable to manage your own affairs. As opposed to other estate planning options, a revocable living trust gives you the ability to keep control of and enjoy […]
An important element of creating an estate plan is choosing a responsible party to handle your legal, medical, and financial affairs if you become unable to manage them yourself (i.e., become incapacitated) or die. The individual or entity you choose must be someone whom you can trust to make crucial and often time-sensitive decisions, who is […]
Many people associate spring with cleaning out the old, brushing off the dirt accumulated from the long winter, cleaning out their closets, and starting projects around the house that have been neglected for far too long. Perhaps, however, your home is fine as is and there’s something else that needs to be updated this summer. Estate […]
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 […]
It’s a constant, death and taxes. And even death doesn’t stop the tax man. As part of wrapping up your estate, your executor must file a final income tax return with the IRS. This tax return is for the portion of the last year you were alive. For Whom Must an Estate Tax Return Be Filed? […]
