By Carissa Peterson | Published February 16, 2022 | Posted in Estate Planning | Leave a comment
More sophisticated estate planning may be appropriate for people that: have sufficient net worth to consider tax planning; own assets in more than one state or jurisdiction; highly prize privacy; have blended families, and/or have a history of family discord (“Complicating Factors”). In 2022, the net amount a person can have without paying estate tax Read More
Read MoreA common misconception is that estate planning is for the wealthy, with an abundance of assets, including retirement plans, life insurance and annuities. However, the truth is that everyone over the age of 18, regardless of wealth, socioeconomic class or marital status should have a basic estate plan designed for their specific and unique situation, Read More
Read MoreCOMMUNITY AND SEPARATE PROPERTY IN TEXAS: OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL Texas law characterizes property acquired by spouses either community or separate property when property is acquired, and this characterization has tremendous consequences. w defines a spouse’s “separate property” as: (1) property owned or claimed by the spouse before marriage; (2) property acquired during the marriage by Read More
Read MoreThe economic and personal upheaval triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to warrant a review of your estate plan, no matter how thorough you think it is. As Americans cope with health fears and financial volatility, it’s worthwhile to determine whether a will, trust, advance medical directive or other legal instrument needs to be Read More
Read MoreAt the Strong Firm P.C., we understand that the past few weeks (and those weeks ahead) have been trying times as our clients and their loved ones navigate the uncertainty of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the related volatility in the financial markets. As attorneys, in addition to dealing with this uncertainty in our own lives, Read More
Read MoreAny parent with a special needs child understands that the hardships their children face are much more than their physical disability. They also understand that the words “special needs” is one of the broadest categories in our language. “Special needs” is the same term to identify a child with muscular dystrophy who may never be Read More
Read MoreMillennials have complicated everything. Socializing in person wasn’t enough, so they created Facebook. Dollars weren’t enough, so they created Bitcoin. Every new app, technology or cryptocurrency brings with it more uncertainty legal uncertainty around these digital assets. Are they currency? Are they property? Can they be gifted? Can they be inherited? Will they receive a Read More
Read MoreTexas law provides several options to transfer ownership of a deceased person’s (usually called a “decedent”) property. We previously discussed the difference between a dependent and an independent administration. The dependent and independent administrations are used when the deceased person’s estate exceeds some minimal thresholds for size or complexity, such as owing unpaid debts. Texas Read More
Read MoreIt is an incredible accomplishment for business owners to craft a business succession plan establishing the structure that will transition the business out of the hands of the current owner(s). However, even the best business succession plan will be considered a failure without a proper funding mechanism. The considerations in support of setting up a Read More
Read MoreProbate is the process of applying to a court for authority to transfer a decedent’s property. When the court stays involved throughout the administration of a probate (i.e. through the whole process) then the probate process is long, complex and expensive. However, Texas has aggressively sought to create a number of more efficient (i.e. quicker Read More
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