Many people in Texas and across the nation have spent a lifetime collecting and acquiring personal property. When they die, if there are no estate planning documents in place to determine how the property will be distributed, it is left to heirs of an estate to...
Estate Planning
Texas estate planning may be affected by new tax rules
Many of our readers in Texas may feel that the rules for estate planning are complicated. This has been especially true in recent years due to the ever-changing laws for issues such as the federal estate tax. Now, Congress has enacted a new set of laws aimed at making...
Texas estate planning should include tax considerations
As we have discussed in this column before, the potential changes to the estate tax have been a point of concern for many of our Texas readers. Now, many beginning to consider the estate planning process can rest easy after the U.S. Congress sought to make the amount...
Texas estate planning can be used for the care of pets
Heirs of an estate can take many different forms. For many readers in Texas, their pets are a member of the family that are as important as any individual or organization that are potential heirs to an estate. For these folks, estate planning includes making plans for...
Texas estate planning may include tax questions
As we have mentioned previously on our blog, the estate tax exemption is set to change at the end of this year. One recent report that may be of interest to readers in Texas highlights the fact that the exemption will change from $5.12 million to $1 million per...
Texas estate planning can include a will
There are many tools that individuals in Texas can use to create plans for the distribution of their estates after their deaths. In fact, estate planning can be customized to fit every individual need. Though many believe that this process is only for those who are...
Texas estate planning can include long-term care plan
A recent study completed by a large organization may be of interest to readers in Texas. Researchers polled more than 2,516 adults to find out how well-prepared they were for a potential medical illness that would leave them unable to care for themselves. The results...
Super storm leads some in Texas to consider estate planning
Super Storm Sandy was a large weather event that ended with people across the northeastern part of our country suffering severe damage, including flooding and the loss of their homes. Though this storm took place far from Texas, the storm may have reminded many in our...
Estate planning in Texas can include small business exit
Famed Star Wars Director George Lucas recently sold his movie company to Disney for more than $4 billion. This move was part of an estate plan that allowed the filmmaker to use many of his assets while he is still alive to limit taxes that his heirs may have had to...
Estate planning in Texas may benefit from use of trusts
People in Texas may be surprised to learn how quickly their estate can add up to the $1 million estate tax exemption that may kick back into gear at the beginning of 2013. Adding the family home, investments, life insurance and other assets can take many individuals...