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Are Handwritten Wills Valid?
June 30th, 2019
Maybe it was Patti LaBelle who asked, “Hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?”* But it seems it was Aretha Franklin who has left even more compelling questions after her death regarding what will happen to her estate based on three separate handwritten…
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Going to the Chapel and You're Gonna Get Married? Florida Updates Your Will Automatically
July 13th, 2018
By tradition, last month (June) was the month of weddings. In all of that wedded bliss, then, maybe seeing an estate planning attorney was not at the top of your list. On one hand, you’re safe: Florida adds your spouse to your will in your esta…
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Florida's Elective Share: Why a DIY Approach Usually Does Not Work When Disinheriting Your Spouse
February 23rd, 2018
Imagine that two people, later in life, decide to get married. Both of them have their own wealth and savings. They each have established large retirement accounts, and they have savings set aside they want to pass to their children. Sure, they want…
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Tags: Florida
Let’s Talk About Love*: Is a Simple “I Love You Will” Enough?
February 13th, 2018
Many general legal practitioners will offer an “I love you will” to their married clients as a simple—and less expensive—means of estate planning. After all, simple sounds nice. And less expensive often gets people in the door. And who do…
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Tags: Florida
Wrongful Death and Your Estate
February 6th, 2018
Most people have heard about personal injury lawsuits (and we’ve almost all seen the commercials). Someone brings these lawsuits when he is injured, for example, due to someone else’s negligent or intentional act. The damages are, in essence, int…
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Tags: Florida
“I Think I Love You”* But Perhaps I Don’t Want to Leave You Anything: Deciding to Disinherit a Child
January 2nd, 2018
Several news sources in December covered the revelation about David Cassidy’s will: he disinherited his daughter. When I saw this story about David Cassidy, two things jumped out. What his family might have wanted to be a private issue is now publi…
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Who Needs an Estate Plan? Everyone!
December 9th, 2017
If you already have an estate plan, well done! Granted, life brings changes. Those changes can necessitate updates to your plan. Your estate-planning attorney can help make sure your wishes remain in effect. For everyone else, we often see two types…
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The Blended Family: Providing for Spouses, Children and Stepchildren
March 28th, 2017
When dividing property, fairness is essential, but it’s also subjective. Thinking about wills and who you want to inherit your assets is difficult for anyone, but the process is more complex for blended families. Some of the same rules apply. M…
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Tags: Florida
Don’t Let These Four Key Account Types Fall Through the Cracks: Name Your Beneficiaries
January 25th, 2017
Your estate planning—that part naming whom you want to have things after you die—involves more than your will. You should also select whom you want to receive various accounts you have. These accounts can be given directly to those persons you na…
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The Blended Family: Considerations for Dividing Property
August 31st, 2016
Estate planning for blended families is a complex subject. The process may involve unique challenges because an absolute answer for determining how property should be handled does not exist. This post will give you an overview of some property distri…
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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