Trusts

What Does A Transfer On Death Deed in Texas Do? There is a snappy little document called a “transfer on death deed” that is very much in vogue right now.  You can use it to transfer your real property in Texas upon your death, making it a valuable tool if your estate plan is geared toward avoiding probate. If you are leaping to your computer to download an internet form of...

One of the more difficult decisions that must be made after the death of a loved one is whether or not to probate the will.   For our purposes, assume the will was properly drawn under the Texas law.   The person who made the will is known as a testator (male) or testatrix (female).  The person named as the administrator in the will is an independent executor (male) or independent...

Many families are blessed with a child (or adult) who happens to have a disability. There is obviously some concern regarding that loved one’s care and standard of living once a parent or other caregiver is no longer able to provide for them. SSI and Medicaid Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid can help, but they are limited and require the disabled person to have very depressed levels of assets and...

Do not take a vacation, leave for college, go through surgery or get on a small plane without having these documents in place and current.  A will.  This document can be simple or complex, but it should not be based on a form that you download from the internet.  Because a will is so important, you should be extremely careful on how it is drafted and executed. Helpful hint: you...

Not long ago, I published Part 1 of this Article in which I discussed the State of Texas’s rules for how your property is divided if you die without a will. For many people, that division is far from what they want done with their own assets and possessions.  It also causes sticky joint management issues between children from prior relationships (or their parent/the ex-spouse), and current spouses.  That thought...

According to the National Institute on Aging,  dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia is more common as people grow older. Up to half of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia. As Elder Lawyers, we deal with dementia from a legal perspective. Estate planning...

Trust Disputes Tear a Family Apart Picture this: mom and dad know they will leave an inheritance when they die. They want to make sure that the money is spent by their kids wisely and is not frittered away. So they set up a trust. They pick the oldest as trustee, with the second oldest as the next trustee in line. All of the kids are beneficiaries, and even the...

Beware the exculpatory clause. These tricky little provisions are often found in trust documents. They purport to give a trustee the ability to avoid all sorts of duties and liabilities. Unfortunately, the clauses often go too far. After all, you can’t relieve a trustee of every responsibility because that would make the trust a sham. You might as well hand the trustee a million dollars without any strings attached. This makes sense...