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First Responders: Questions to Consider to Best Protect Their Loved Ones
November 8th, 2021
A first responder are those who have specialized training and who usually arrive first at the scene of an emergency, whether that be an accident, natural disaster, terrorism, or even a pandemic. Included in the list are law enforcement officers, fire…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Is Our Home Community Property or Separate Property, and Why Does It Matter?
November 1st, 2021
When two people get married, the property they obtain during their marriage is called marital property. This includes anything from real property like homes and rental properties, to stock options, investment accounts, heirlooms, and employment incom…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Tags: Community property
How Life Insurance Can Be Part of Your Estate Plan
October 25th, 2021
Life insurance may not seem to have a bearing on how to dispose of assets in your estate, but you might like what you find if you look a bit deeper. Life insurance can be an integral, indispensably important part of a well-thought-out estate plan.
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Categories: Estate Planning
Probate: How an Estate is Administered in Court
October 11th, 2021
To process a decedent’s will it must go through a function called Probate, a method which judicial officials, including probate judges, process property. State laws may vary but the general process stays genuinely the same across the country.
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Why a Letter of Intent is Crucial
August 30th, 2021
A letter of intent (LOI) can be a valuable piece in your estate planning, and although it is an informal letter, it can more fully represent your financial and personal intentions after you die. Everyone knows they need to make a will, but this lesse…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Estate Planning in the LGBTQIA+ Community: Are There Differences?
August 23rd, 2021
Since the 2015 recognition of same-sex marriage being constitutionally protected, same-sex couples who are married have been able to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to estate planning. But for unmarried couples, careful pl…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Tags: LGBTQIA+ estate planning
Storing Your Health Care Directives on Your Smart Phone? There's an App for That.
August 16th, 2021
More Americans than ever can now store information on smartphones and tablet devices. Whether engaging in online banking, using a mobile plane boarding pass, or creating work calendars shared in the cloud, the internet of things provides needed conne…
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Lapse: What Happens to Inheritance if the Beneficiary Dies?
August 2nd, 2021
A key part of your estate plan is your will. In addition to identifying who is in charge of handling your estate after your death, your will names who will inherit your property and assets. But what happens if that beneficiary dies before you do? For…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Estate Planning for the Family Farm
July 26th, 2021
Suppose that mother and dad have run the family farm for a long time. Now, though, they’re getting on in years, and they’re considering moving into a smaller place. One of the daughters and her husband help run the farm, but the rest of the sibli…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Preparing for Your Aging Parents' Care
July 19th, 2021
Although every situation is unique, one truism to preparing for an aging parent’s care is that preparation is crucial to success. Whether you need basic information about eldercare resources and services, are looking for a local agency to provide t…
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Categories: Estate Planning
Attorney Jana McCreary
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