In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a law adopting the Transfer on Death Deed (“TODD”). The TODD was adopted, presumably, as an alternative to probating an estate simply for the purpose of clearing title to real estate. More plainly, if you only own a home,...
As an Estate Planning Attorney, I often get mistaken for other types of professionals. A potential client may quiz me about how they should handle their investments in volatile markets, or they may have questions regarding the best approach to filing their income taxes. While...
No two Estate Plans are the same. Each person has unique needs that must be met to form a complete plan. This is especially true for single parents. Raising a child is a tremendous responsibility. Raising a child alone is an even greater challenge. When...
Millions of homeowners across the country are refinancing to take advantage of the lowest mortgage interest rates in recent history. If you have a Revocable Living Trust, most likely your home is titled (or at least it should be titled) in the name of your...
Since 1971, August 26th is recognized as Women’s Equality Day in the United States in commemoration of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment. The 1970s saw a cavalcade of landmark women’s rights cases decided in the Supreme Court. One of those cases, Reed v. Reed,...
Crain and Wooley's estate planning guide offers you a glimpse inside the world of wills, trusts, and disability planning. This easy-to-read guide provides you with the information needed to get the PERFECT plan in place for you and your loved ones. Enter your name and email...
No. Well, probably not. One of our many rights as Americans is that we’re allowed to leave our assets to anyone we want. A father has the right to not leave anything to his adult children, regardless of the existence of a stepmother or not. We...
“Back in the day”, one of the worst things that could happen was if someone read your diary. Now, with social media, kids get mad if their Tik Toks or Insta Stories don’t get enough views. Despite the prevalence of over-sharing in our lives nowadays,...
A number of our clients have a trust as the main document in their estate plan. Some of them created a trust before ever talking with Crain & Wooley and were not educated on how a properly crafted trust works. For example, some people never...
There is a lot of confusion surrounding two frequently used yet greatly misunderstood terms: Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) and Directive to Physicians (Living Will). Unfortunately, many of us use these terms interchangeably. However, they are NOT the same “thing”. These documents may seem similar...