Articles
What Is A Common Law Marriage In Texas?
Quick Answer: Per Section 2.401 of the Texas Family Code, three elements must exist at the same time in order to establish a common law marriage. Both parties must agree to be married. The couple has to live together as husband and wife while in Texas, i.e. they act...
Should I Get A Living Trust In Texas?
Quick Answer: The most common situations for when creating a living trust makes sense are: You own real estate outside of Texas. You really want to try to avoid probate on your estate to save time and money. You think you have a high chance of becoming mentally...
What Is Estate Planning?
What is estate planning? First of all, almost everyone has an estate, because an estate is merely made up of everything a person owns – cars, real estate, checking accounts, investment accounts, furniture, clothes, etc. So, dear reader, you are pretty much guaranteed...
Should I Get Power Of Attorney For A Parent?
“Should I get power of attorney for a parent?” If someone doesn’t already have power of attorney for your parent, then yes, you really should try to get one. And if you don’t think you should be the one to get power of attorney for your parent for whatever reason,...
Use A Spendthrift Trust To Leave Assets To Someone Who Isn’t Good With Money
A spendthrift trust can be a very powerful estate planning tool if you want to leave assets to someone who isn't good with money. I have always said that everyone has their strengths, i.e. things that they are good at. Some of us are very artistic. Some of us are...
Can My Will From Another State Be Used In Texas?
With so many people moving to Texas these days I often get the question “Can my will from another state be used in Texas?” The quick answer is, yes, as long as the will was created and signed properly within the laws of that other state, then the will should be...
Why You Need To Name Guardians For Your Children
It's bad enough that 64% of Americans don't have a will, but most parents of minor children have not named guardians for their children either. And you really need to name guardians for your children, because in some ways this might be even more important than having...
Choosing A Guardian For Your Child
A legal guardian is someone who is designated to take care of your child in case both you and the other parent of your child were to die before your child reaches adulthood. Yes, that’s a terrible scenario to think about, but unfortunately it’s a genuine possibility....
The Difference Between A Living Will And A Medical Power Of Attorney
So what’s the difference between a living will and a medical power of attorney? Depending on how your medical power of attorney is written there can possibly be some overlap between the two. And this sometimes confuses people. But even if there is some overlap you...
Choosing An Agent For Your Medical Power Of Attorney
Choosing an agent for your medical power of attorney is another important decision you need to make in order to create a good estate plan for yourself. Whoever you choose will have the legal authority to make medical decisions for you if you were to become...