Everything You Need to Know About Beneficiary Designations
In Gordon v. Gordon, a couple created a revocable trust and named a friend, who provided financial advice, as successor trustee. No. 03-22-00454-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 3611 (Tex. App.—Austin May 23, 2024, no pet. history)....more
Choosing between a will and a living trust in Washington state can be confusing for various reasons. You may feel that you don’t know which estate planning tool will help you manage your financial portfolio or complex assets....more
There are a number of considerations to make when deciding whether to proceed with a Will-based estate plan or a trust-based estate plan. First, as a general matter, there are two ways in which your estate can be distributed...more
Did you know that actions can be taken after you die (i.e., post-mortem) to achieve the best results possible for your testamentary plan? Some estate plans are intentionally structured to give your beneficiaries and your...more
When a person dies without a will, the person responsible for managing the estate is called an “administrator”. If the person died with a will, they would normally appoint somebody for this position, an “executor”. Both the...more
If your life changes, so should your estate plan. Marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, a birth and a changing relationship with a child are just some of the life changes that may affect your estate plan. Unfortunately, as...more
Over the holidays, you or a loved one may have received some type of computer or device that connects to the internet, email and various applications. Or photos were taken and stored on such a device, or posts were made on...more
In Coyle v. Jones, two sisters fought over the whether $197,000 belonged to their mother’s estate or to a trust. No. 05-16-00876-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 11173 (Tex. App.—Dallas November 30, 2017, no pet. history). ...more
While most decisions rendered by the Surrogate’s Court result from an affirmative request for relief, occasionally the court will address an issue on its own motion when justice or the exercise of its inherent or statutory...more
December Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The December § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs...more
October Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The October Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs,...more
In In re Jones, there was a jury trial on the issue of whether a revocable trust was revoked such that the trustee, Jones, or the settlor’s executor, Coyle, had the right to the trust assets. No. 05-16-0081-CV, 2016 Tex. App....more