blog & insights

Who Should Be Your Successor Trustee?

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If you have a revocable living trust, you probably named yourself as trustee so you can continue to manage your own financial affairs, but eventually someone will need to step in for you when you are no longer able to act due to incapacity or after your death. The Successor Trustee plays an important role…

3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs

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The bad news: probated estates are subject to a variety of costs from attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, courts, and state law. Depending on the probate’s complexity, fees can run into tens of thousands of dollars. The good news: probate costs can be reduced by avoiding probate. It’s really that simple. Here are three simple ways…

How a Community Property Trust Could Save You From Heavy Taxation Down the Road

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When it comes to your family’s legacy, every dollar you can save from tax collection counts. One way to keep your assets out of the hands of the IRS is the formation of community property trusts. How does a community property trust (CPT) work? CPTs save you money on taxes by adjusting or “stepping up”…

How to Pick a Trustee, Executor, and Agent Under a Power of Attorney

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While the term fiduciary is a legal term with a long history, it very generally means someone who is legally obligated to act in another person’s best interests. Trustees, executors, and agents are all examples of fiduciaries. When you pick trustees, executors, and agents in your estate plan, you’re picking one or more people to…

Legislative Update

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Laws Affecting Tenants are Changing September 1st, 2019 Important updates are coming in Texas tenant law on September 1, 2019, that you should be aware of if you are a renter in the Lone Star State. Section 92.011 of the Texas Property Code has, been amended as you can see, in part, below. We’ve included…