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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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What It Means To Become a Fiduciary
February 8th, 2021
In your lifetime, you may be asked to act on behalf of a family member or friend. This could be being named as agent under a power of attorney, as executor under a will, or as trustee for a trust, for example. Then, if that person who named you becom…
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Rockin’ Your Estate Plan
July 27th, 2018
Over the past weekend, I attended the REO Speedwagon and Chicago concert. At one point during REO’s performance, three of the band members (all guitar players) gathered near the front of the stage, playing some ongoing music but not a clearly ident…
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Categories: Powers of Attorney
Tags: Florida
Guardianship, Hippos, and #notallfoxes: Thoughts from John Oliver (and Others)
July 18th, 2018
Sitting in my office this week, I had the opportunity to watch a clip from HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He provided an explanation of how guardianship works, with a frank discussion of the possible scary implications. Of course, be…
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Agents, Representatives, and Surrogates: Oh My! Understanding Your Estate Plan Roles
April 18th, 2018
When you create your estate plan, not only do you decide what happens to your belongings and property after you die, you also choose people in the roles of your estate plan to do things for you when you cannot. Some of these people act after your dea…
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Tags: Florida
DPOA vs HCS: Comparing the Powers under Key Estate Plan Pieces
January 23rd, 2018
In a recent Instagram post, a question was posed about a DPOA vs HCS. Do you know the difference between a Durable Power of Attorney and a Health Care Surrogate Designation? A Durable Power of Attorney is a document used to grant power to a person to…
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Categories: Powers of Attorney
Tags: Florida
Step Into My Shoes: More Key Benefits of Using a Comprehensive Power of Attorney (Part II)
April 28th, 2017
A power of attorney authorizes your agent to, essentially, step into your shoes (no matter whether you prefer sneakers or pumps) in order to handle your affairs and conduct business on your behalf. This business includes the business of your everyday…
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Categories: Powers of Attorney
Tags: Florida
Four Key Benefits of Using a Comprehensive Power of Attorney (Top Benefits, Part I)
April 25th, 2017
Having talked about some of the basics of powers of attorney in the last post, let’s count down some of the top benefits of having a comprehensive power of attorney as part of your well-planned estate. 1. Avoid the necessity of a guardianship or co…
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Categories: Powers of Attorney
Tags: Florida
Powers of Attorney: Some Basic Principles for Principals
April 9th, 2017
Powers of attorney do not refer to how much your attorney can bench press or lift. Instead, a power of attorney is a document that identifies and gives power to a person to make decisions for you in the case of incapacity. The benefits of a highly de…
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Categories: Powers of Attorney
Tags: Florida
Let's Talk About It: Incapacity and End of Life
September 17th, 2015
Estate planning doesn’t involve only things that happen after one’s death. A large part of a solid estate plan involves planning too for incapacity and medical illness. This part of the planning happens with making choices about your medical powe…
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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