Between 1990 and 2007, the number of non-married couple households increased by 88 percent. Today, most folks know at least one person who lives with a partner but isn’t married. The majority of couples nowadays live together before marrying. O…
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Life changes daily, it seems sometimes. Often, when those events take place that bring such change, we can be so focused on the change in circumstance, it’s easy to overlook how our estate plan might need to change too. Here are five key times…
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Living together with family members is a great choice for many people. However, combined living arrangements can also lead to legal conflicts and unintended consequences. If you’re living in or are transitioning to a multi-generational home, he…
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Appointing a guardian for minor children is one of the most important and challenging decisions that parents face. If you’ve been avoiding the issue, it’s time to take the leap. A thorough, properly drafted estate plan is the best way to…
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Last week, news spread quickly of the unexpected death of legendary musician, Prince. Posts covered Facebook news feeds. Twitter exploded with comments lamenting the loss. Tributes rang out musically on stages across Broadway, concert halls, and Satu…
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Instead of naming an individual as a beneficiary for your retirement account, you can help that savings grow even more by naming a standalone retirement trust. The trust then provides for your beneficiaries and distributes money each year. Some of th…
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Sometimes talking about end of life issues and living wills can be uncomfortable. Sometimes we are challenged with how to broach the topic. Too often, we think about these matters only after watching someone else go through losing a loved one or thro…
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With the start of a new year, we often take time to reflect on the past, look forward to the future, and generally set goals to get our houses in order—whether our physical houses, our fitness houses, or our financial houses. One of those areas in…
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The Chicago Tribune carried a great piece in December 2015 about the ability to choose national parks as a final resting place. Many parks allow the scattering of cremation remains, but each park’s rules are different. The National Park Service…
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In 2015, NPR aired a segment on issues facing women in retirement. One of the points made is the lack of saving by many women combined with a longer life expectancy. Added to that is a complication of our mobile society: although years ago the childr…
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Houston Estate Planning Attorney Jana R. McCreary has been an attorney for over twenty years, a career move she made after working for over a decade with adults and children with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Graduating summa cum laud… Read More