Several years ago, James Brill wrote an excellent article for the Texas Bar Journal entitled, “Discouraging Disengagement.” It was billed as a helpful way to remind clients to maintain their estate plans. While we strive to build estate plans to … [Read more...]
Fresh Start!
A new year is upon us and it reminds me of a fundamental need we all sense at one time or another; the need for a fresh start. I am not a huge fan of resolutions, but any prompt to move me into a better 2019 is a good prompt. Start Spring cleaning … [Read more...]
Slow Down
Have you seen the signs in various neighborhoods that advise, “Drive like your kids live here?” These signs want you to slow down and be more attentive and careful. So much hardship and disappointment could be avoided if people followed that advice … [Read more...]
Winning the Lottery
The possibility of winning "one billion dollars", said in the voice of Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies, was heavily reported by the media last month, which brought up memories of some interesting clients and some unforgettable times. Over … [Read more...]
No Maintenance?
Some of us have watched the world go from high maintenance to at least lower maintenance in our lifetime. Automobiles that used to get 100 miles to the tire and seven miles to the gallon now allow us to put 50,000 miles on a tire and get 40 plus … [Read more...]
Five Times When A Will Isn’t What You Intended
You have a Last Will and Testament, or so you think. Here are 5 situations when your best intentions fall flat: When it is not the Last Will and Testament When it doesn’t distribute your assets When it is not executed with “testamentary … [Read more...]
That Was Easy
Don’t you hate the unknown? The brutal reality is that you don’t know what you don’t know. You take on a project or try to fill out a form and start to second-guess yourself by the third step. The directions appear to have been written in an unknown … [Read more...]
“But No One Told Me…”
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a guidebook, a pamphlet, or an online video for all of life’s challenges? You can find a YouTube video for almost anything, but, in some situations, there are so many different opinions that it’s hard to know who to … [Read more...]
Memorial Day
Memorial Day means different things to different people. Some think of it as the beginning of summer, others as just a three day weekend. Some focus on the memory of those who died in military service and others expand it to First Responders and … [Read more...]
OWNERSHIP?
FOCUS ON OWNERSHIP: You can’t give away or sell what you don’t own! Property rights are important under the law. Often, clients fail to consider the important question, “Who owns the property?” Ownership is not the same thing as possession. You … [Read more...]
HANDLE WITH CARE
Perhaps you have seen “HANDLE WITH CARE” stenciled on the outside of a container or crate. If you’re like me you may have tried to child-proof a room or dealt with the consequences of placing an item in harms’ way. As we get older we accumulate more … [Read more...]
SURPRISE!
Frequently, I will speak to someone about the death of a loved one and try to share wise counsel with them. There are a great many things that accompany death that most of us have little experience navigating. Each case is unique and each one has … [Read more...]