Last Wills and Testaments

24 Mar Have You Told Your Spouse EVERYTHING? Justin Crain, Partner

Posted at 12:12h in Estate Planning, Family Relationships, Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust by admin 0 Comments

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If you have children that your spouse doesn’t know about, don’t assume that just because they were adopted by another family that they are no longer an heir of your estate...

14 Dec 3 Ways To Make Sure They Do The Right Thing: Jacob K. Wooley, Partner

Posted at 05:00h in Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust by admin 2 Comments

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Who will make sure my Executor or Successor Trustee adheres to my final wishes? How can I be certain the instructions I leave behind can be enforced? There are at least 3 ways to make certain that your Executor/Successor Trustee does the right thing. 1....

10 Dec ABLE Accounts vs. Special Needs Trusts: Jacob K. Wooley, Partner

Posted at 05:00h in Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust, Special Needs by admin 0 Comments

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Planning to leave a legacy for a loved one with a disability demands careful detail. Not only do you want to include that loved one in the distribution of gifts from your estate, you also want to make sure that you continue to contribute to...

10 Nov Why Would I Revoke My Will? Shelly Joyner, Associate Attorney

Posted at 05:00h in Last Wills and Testaments by admin 0 Comments

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At Crain & Wooley, we instruct our clients to dust off their estate plan and review it once a year to make sure it correctly reflects their wishes. There are many life changes and scenarios where you will need to revoke your will and get...

23 Oct What is a Holographic Will? Justin Crain, Partner

Posted at 05:42h in Last Wills and Testaments by admin 2 Comments

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In Texas, a will written ENTIRELY in your own handwriting is called a holographic will. It is essential to understand that every single word of this type of Will must be written only in your handwriting. Texas courts have taken an approach that directs that...

14 Sep Work Together: CPAs, Financial Planners, and Estate Planning Attorneys: Jacob Wooley, Partner

Posted at 11:30h in Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust by admin 4 Comments

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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...

26 Aug Reed v. Reed: Women’s Equality in Estate Administration: Shelly Joyner, Associate Attorney

Posted at 13:52h in Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust by admin 2 Comments

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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,...

05 Aug Wills vs. Trusts: How to Keep Important Matters Private: Shelly Joyner, Associate Attorney

Posted at 15:44h in Last Wills and Testaments, Revocable Living Trust by admin 2 Comments

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“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,...

17 Jun Emoji Wills: Shelly Joyner, Associate Attorney

Posted at 19:35h in Last Wills and Testaments by admin 4 Comments

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Text messaging is a vital part of daily communication. We make appointments via text. We pay bills via text. We update loved ones via text. The advent of and mass adoption of text messaging begs the question: Is this text a valid will? Arguably, the effort made...

17 Mar Where There’s A Will There Are Many Ways: Shelly Joyner, Associate

Posted at 20:00h in Last Wills and Testaments by admin 0 Comments

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Every week, we encounter many different types of wills from those created using an online self-help product to those hastily scribbled on the back of a napkin before a medical procedure. The family and friends of the testator (the will’s author) are often surprised that...