An Executor’s Guide to Administering an Estate
Estate Planning 101: The Five Most Important Clauses for Wills and Trusts
Top Ten Mistakes Executors Make and How to Avoid Them
Elderly persons often sign new estate documents, including trusts and trust amendments. Certainly, all persons with competence and without improper influences have the right to leave their property to whoever, and however,...more
Interested in trying to prepare your own estate plan? There are resources available to assist you, such as online services, computer software and how-to books. Do-it-yourself (DIY) estate planning may save you hundreds or...more
Managing your residuary estate - Even with a comprehensive estate plan, it’s likely you’ll have some assets in a residuary estate. Like the sediment at the bottom of your glass after you finish a fine wine, an estate plan...more
It’s not enough for the founder of a closely held business to have successfully established the business. The business has to grow, not only to increase profits, but also to make it more competitive and to diversify its...more
DURING YOUR LIFE - When preparing your estate plan, it is of utmost importance to ensure that you have documents in place so your spouse or another trusted individual can make medical and financial decisions on your...more
Winstead Shareholder David F. Johnson participated in a panel presentation entitled “When One Is Not Enough: Dividing Fiduciary Powers and Dispositions” for the State Bar of Texas’s 29th Advanced Estate Planning Strategies on...more
Offshore Trust and Estate Litigation Update Series – Part I - Trust and estate disputes in both the Cayman Islands and the BVI, and claims against the actions of a trustee/executor or disputes related to an interested...more
Drew Baylor is a wildly successful athletic shoe designer for Mercury Sportwear until his world is turned askew when one of the shoes he designed is accused of having a design flaw. Mercury announces a recall; Drew becomes...more
Presented by Whitney Patience O'Reilly on February 16, 2021. Too often, when planning an estate, individuals and families overlook some key provisions that will better protect their families and their wishes. In this...more
Many California trusts confer a lifetime right to income on a person (often the surviving spouse) with the remainder passing to designated survivors upon the income beneficiary’s death. When the income beneficiary dies, is it...more
In a contested estate situation, family members are mad, often fighting mad. A common client question is, “When are we going to court?” Perhaps surprisingly, our usual answer to this is, “Only when everything else has...more
Too often, when planning an estate, individuals and families overlook some key provisions that will better protect their families and their wishes. In this webinar, Whitney O’Reilly will cover the basics of a good estate plan...more
A SPA trust can improve the flexibility of your estate plan - We live in uncertain times. There’s uncertainty about the economy as well as the possibility of tax increases to address the rising federal debt. For example,...more
Nobody wants their plans frustrated or ignored by their beneficiaries, the courts or even the executors and trustees left in charge. Half a dozen new and emerging processes and laws now allow fairly easy modifications to...more
It’s important to name executors and trustees who can provide the necessary expertise in handling assets and duties. This article details the duties of an executor and a trustee. A sidebar explains the need to name successors...more
Inside this Issue: - Executors and trustees: The name game - What are the benefits of a durable power of attorney? - Digital assets and your estate plan: This asset type requires special planning - ESTATE PLANNING...more
The discharge of an executor or trustee is the ultimate end-game of most, if not all, estate and trust administrations. Affording that kind of comfort level to the fiduciary can be accomplished in one of two ways,...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
In Estate of Sloan, a wife died leaving her home, and her husband was the executor of her estate. No. 02-15-00198-CV, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 6465 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth June 16, 2016, no pet. history). The wife’s will left all...more