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Okay, we have to own up to something.  Officially, October 21-27, 2024 is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, but we are so passionate about providing peace of mind to our clients that we extended this important week into a whole month.  It’s tough to convey all the value an estate plan brings you and your family in just one week, so we’ve decided to use the entire month of October to remind everyone of the importance of creating or maintaining an estate plan. […]

Congratulations!  You’ve finished your will or living trust, and you’re basking in the peace of mind you’ve provided for you and your family.  You pat yourself on the back, knowing that all your earthly possessions will be divided fairly and squarely amongst your loved ones, just as you wished.  Life is good. But what happens if a few years down the road you decide to leave a specific asset to a specific person that wasn’t mentioned in your estate plan?  Say you want […]

It’s our favorite month of the year.  That’s right, August is National Make-a-Will month!  It’s the month we remind everyone of the importance of creating or maintaining an estate plan. If you already have a plan in place, great job! You’re enjoying the comfort of knowing you and your family are protected. If it’s been a few years since you signed your documents, August is the perfect time to have your plan reviewed to make sure everything is still in order. Now if […]

Unfortunately this article is not about skydiving, visiting the Alamo, or riding a bull for the first time.  Check out the Tim McGraw song or the Morgan Freeman movie if that’s what you were looking for.  No, this is a more practical look at preparing for the inevitable.  It’s easy to want to avoid discussing it, but it’s just as much a part of life as dream vacations and bull riding.  Why wouldn’t you plan for it just like your retirement, your career, […]

A recent USA Today article noted that fewer older Americans have estate plans than ever before.  This troubling trend should sound alarm bells throughout the land, but for a majority of Americans this is not news at all.  In fact, it’s estimated that only about one third of adults have an estate plan.  Of the two-thirds that don’t have any advanced planning in place, almost three-quarters are women. The statistics are downright worrisome, but why are so many of us foregoing this valuable […]

For purposes of estate planning, a blended family is one where married couples have children from previous relationships or marriages.  These families can include step children, half siblings, or even extended family members who live in the same household. It is very important to revisit your estate plan after a divorce or remarriage, especially when children are involved.  The only way to make sure your children are protected in these situations is to have an estate plan in place that reflects your wishes.  […]

On September 1, 2023, Senate Bill 2314 became law and changed the landscape of asset protection for small business owners across the state of Texas.  But this significant change in the law seems to have slipped under the radar.  Owners of single-member LLCs now enjoy the same protection from creditors that owners of multi-member LLCs have had for years.  Seems like cause for celebration, right?  Absolutely.  So why didn’t this announcement make the big splash it deserved? In large part because most business […]

On January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) goes into effect.  The CTA has far-reaching implications for millions of small businesses, creating new reporting obligations for owners and decision-makers.  Understanding the impact this new law has on your business is critical, as the law imposes civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance, including fines up to $10,000 and imprisonment up to two years.  So let’s find out if the CTA affects your business and what you may need to do to comply. What […]

I admit, it’s tempting.  The lure of the instant solution, avoiding a stodgy lawyer’s office, saving money, and a easy way to check that project off your to-do list.  I’m speaking of course about the myriad of online options for creating your own will or trust.  It seems like they’re all over the internet these days.  But like so many other things on the internet, you should be careful where you tread.  Sometimes because you can doesn’t mean you should. Not that you’re […]

When you had your will drafted years ago, you might have thought it could sit in your file cabinet until that fateful day when it was needed and everything would work out just fine. That might be true, but the reality is that things change, and the estate plan you set up in your 30s might not be what you need in your 50s or beyond. So maybe it’s time to blow the dust off and take a look at your documents to […]

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