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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...

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...

How To Get Out of A Timeshare Legally

An Inheritance No One Wants Do you own a timeshare?  My condolences. You have the equivalent of a sticky bomb in your portfolio. A timeshare is typically a condominium located in a vacation area that is subject to an agreement between the owner and a management company.  Some timeshare arrangements allow a buyer to “own” the right to use a various condominiums in several areas at different times of the year.   Texas...

7 Times When You Need A Lawyer

The Year of MMXX. Make Your Plans Now Is 2020 going to be a great year or what?   We can look forward to the census, a presidential election and a Congress incentivized to pass crowd-pleasing legislation.  Thank goodness it is a leap year so we get an extra day to figure it all out. Let us turn for a moment from the national scene and welcome in MMXX by taking stock...

The Missing Trust – What to Do When the Trust Document Disappears

For many, many years  –  from the stone age through 2011, to be exact  –  attorneys in Texas regularly recommended trusts to their clients as a way to minimize or avoid estate taxes. A lot of clients heeded the siren song, and hundreds, nay, thousands, of trusts were formed. The trust documents were sent home with the clients, who, naturally, put them away in very safe and secret places. So...