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How To Get Your PPP Loan Forgiven In Texas

Many businesses took advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act created by Congress to combat the economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPP loans issued under this act were designed to help businesses continue to pay their employees and pay certain utility expenses. Now that you have the funds, do you have to pay them back?  Surprisingly, you may not have to pay portions of the funds...

Covid-19 Scams, Robocalls and Life Insurance – Important Stuff to Know

Scammers seem to flourish wherever there is suffering and panic. Not surprisingly, the Coronavirus has brought them out like flies to a rotting carcass. The most popular new swindles involve imposter scams and money mule schemes. Imposter scams occur when a criminal poses as an official from the IRS, CDC, WHO, nonprofit or healthcare provider and solicits money or valuable information. One tactic involves the imposter contacting the victim via phone...

Amateur Hour – Loans to Family Members Can Be Complicated

During the Years of Plenty, when you could simply throw money into the air and have it return three-fold, intra-family loans were a rarity.   Ah, but that was before the dawning of the year of Coronavirus.  Nowadays family loans are depressingly common, often being the only buffer between economic survival and pandemic- inspired bankruptcy.    If you find yourself lending money to a family member, there are some points to keep in...

The COVID-19 Hole in your Living Will – The Safety Net That Wasn’t

COVID-19 has put your Living Will directly to the test, and the results are not pretty. A Living Will, formally known in Texas as a Directive to Physicians, is a document specifying your medical wishes in the event you become critically ill and are unable to communicate them. In it you can direct whether you want artificial measures, such as a ventilator, used to prolong your life. There is a catch,...

Estate Planning Lessons Learned from Coronavirus

To get straight to the point, having an estate plan is one of the most important things you can do for your peace of mind and the benefit of your loved ones. Unfortunately, it is also one of the things that far too many of us dread and put off dealing with until much later in life. But at Hammerle Finley, we firmly believe that it is never too...

Top Ways Your Business Can Prepare for the New SBA Loan

As the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic and its threat to the American economy became increasingly apparent, Congress passed the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27, 2020. The original law created a relief package of over $2 trillion with the purpose to provide fast and direct economic assistance to American workers, families and small businesses while preserving jobs for American businesses and industries. For small...

Small Stuff – The Covid-19 Changes You Have Not Heard About

You have to give reporters due credit. News coverage on the recently enacted pandemic-related laws and actions by government officials – elected and appointed – has been phenomenal. The big stuff made headlines in every news outlet. Not so well publicized was the bunch of small stuff that happened quietly behind the scenes. Since these changes were not quite so bombastic, you may not have heard about them. Here, then,...

Update on Covid-19 Actions In Texas

Thanks to Texas State Senator Jane Nelson for the following important information: Governor Abbott issued a new series of COVID-19 executive orders this week, closing schools through May 3rd and continuing social distancing policies through April 30. Essential businesses such as grocery stores and health care providers will remain open, and the public is asked to help slow the spread of coronavirus by staying home except for essential activities and services. Medical...

Mental Health Resources: Who You Gonna Call?

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated waves of mental health concerns, both for people who have previously struggled with mental illness and for those who have not.  The current uncertainty and widespread panic would shake even the most stolid of hearts.  Consider a situation in which you, a friend, or a family member is experiencing anxiety, fear, depression, or other mental health concern.  Who are you going to call? I’ll give...

Top 7 Coronavirus Small Business Loan Programs

Today governmental shelter-in-place directives and individual self-quarantine actions are stifling business activity throughout Texas. While temporary, the impact of these measures is especially devastating to businesses dependent on a stable monthly revenue.  Many are unable to meet payroll or make this month’s rent.  Businesses are resorting to laying off employees and not paying their bills. These are not your only options.  There are a number of options to consider...

The Rules Keep Changing – COVID-19 brings Dizzying Changes to Law

We are being bombarded, inundated, swamped and over-run with changes in the law - some temporary, some permanent and some yet-to-be-determined.    There are two biggies on the Federal level: CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) and FFCRA (Families First Coronavirus Response Act). States and municipalities are churning out directives daily if not hourly. If it was not so mind-boggling, it would almost be funny. Anyway, here are a few...

Use Quarantine Time to Make Sure You Have These Documents

Put your Covid-19 time at home to good use (and make your relatives happy) by pulling together these 5 groups of documents: Identity Documents Birth certificate, social security card, passport, marriage license, driver’s license, other types of licenses, divorce decree, Final Judgment for Name Change, Adoption Decree, Veteran file (DD214, DD215, Report of Separation, Awards and declarations, security clearance), professional ID cards, proof of graduation or GED. Insurance Documents Insurance documents include: life...