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HIPAA: An Overview for Young Adults
May 14th, 2025
The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted to provide guidelines to the healthcare industry for protecting patient information and preserving privacy. This is usually a nonissue for minors because pare…
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Choosing a Fiduciary: How to Pick a Trustee, Executor, and Agent under a Power of Attorney
November 6th, 2024
While the term fiduciary is a legal term with a rich history, it generally means someone who is legally obligated to act in another person’s best interest. Trustees, executors, and agents are examples of fiduciaries. When you are choosing a fiducia…
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Categories: Estate Planning, Health Care Surrogates, Powers of Attorney, Probate, Property, Trusts, Wills
How to Choose a Guardian for Yourself
October 30th, 2024
Every day we make hundreds of decisions for ourselves—from what to eat for breakfast to where to vacation. However, what happens if you cannot make decisions for yourself? Who do you want making day-to-day decisions on your behalf and serving as yo…
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Don't Let Your Estate Plan Go Up in Smoke: Update Your Plan
July 24th, 2024
Fewer people are creating estate plans today than in years past. Research shows that, in 2024, less than one-third of Americans report having a will.[1] Every adult—whether they are 19 or 99—should have a will at a minimum. Many people can also b…
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Are You Ready to Move Away from Home?
July 17th, 2024
When you move away from home, it is a major milestone in adulthood. For the first time, you might have to secure housing, buy insurance, sign up for utilities, and manage your finances. All of this can feel overwhelming as you simultaneously adapt to…
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What to Do When Incapacity Throws Your Estate Plan into Chaos
May 1st, 2024
As poet Robert Burns mused centuries ago, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Despite thoughtful effort and a concerted strategy, you cannot prepare for every emergency in life. A car accident, sudden illness, workplace injury, or chro…
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How to Choose the Right Agents for Your Incapacity Plan
April 17th, 2024
Many people believe that estate planning is only about planning for their death. But planning for what happens after you die is only one piece of the estate-planning puzzle. It is just as important to plan for what happens if you become unable to man…
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Five Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning
April 10th, 2024
Comprehensive estate planning involves more than just planning for your legacy after your death, avoiding probate, and reducing taxes. Good estate planning also addresses incapacity and appoints people to make legal, financial, and medical decisions…
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Mental Health Awareness Month: How an Estate Plan Can Help Improve Anxiety
May 10th, 2023
Roughly one in five US adults experiences a mental illness each year. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions, affecting nearly one-third of adults at some point in their lives. While anxiety can be generalized and chroni…
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Categories: Burial Plans, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Health Care Surrogates, Living Will, Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Wills
What Are Your Parents' Aging Strategies?
May 31st, 2021
In the United States, it’s very common for adult children to live far away from their aging parents. Managing aging parents’ or in-laws’ medical events can be a serious challenge without proper preparation and understanding of their str…
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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