Under the right circumstances, life insurance can be a valuable – and even cost-saving – addition to a comprehensive estate plan. But, like all estate planning tools, life insurance is not the best option for everyone. If you are thinking about buying life insurance, or wondering if you should, here are three important considerations to keep in mind.

When going through a divorce with children, answering your children’s questions can be one of the most difficult parts of the process. You want to provide them with truthful answers and help them establish reasonable expectations, but you also want to make sure they are not involved in the process any more than is absolutely necessary. Your children will be directly affected by the outcome of your divorce, so they deserve answers. But, they also deserve to be protected from the emotional toll of your divorce to the greatest extent possible.

If you are preparing to go through a divorce, there are a variety of reasons why you may feel that you are entitled to reimbursement from your soon-to-be-former spouse. While Texas’s community property law largely focuses on distributing spouses’ jointly-owned assets based upon what is “just and right,” it also recognizes that there are circumstances in which one spouse may be entitled to reimbursement notwithstanding the fact that the reimbursement results in what would otherwise appear to be an inequitable distribution of community property.

Last time we discussed estate planning on our blog, we talked about the importance of incorporating various types of health care directives into your estate plan. One of these directives was the medical power of attorney, a document which is used to appoint someone else to make health care-related decisions for you should the need arise. When preparing an estate plan, there is another type of power of attorney you will likely want to incorporate as well. This is what is commonly referred to as a durable power of attorney.

If you are like most people, you want your divorce to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. You aren’t interested in a drawn-out legal battle; and, if you have children, the last thing you want is for your kids to get pulled into the process. You think your spouse is on the same page, and you have decided that it is time to bring your marriage to an end. So, what type of divorce should you pursue?

If you live in Texas and are thinking about adopting a child, it is important to do your research. The process can be challenging if you do not know what to expect; and, if you need financial assistance, there are resources available – provided that you know where to look. You can use the resources linked below to learn more about adopting in Texas; and, if you live in the McKinney area, we encourage you to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our experienced family lawyers.  

Whether you are going through a divorce or separation or struggling to collect payment from a former spouse or partner, if you are dealing with a matter that involves child support, you need to be careful to avoid costly errors. From improperly calculating child support to stopping payment without court approval, there are a variety of mistakes can have long-term consequences for you and your children.

When preparing your estate plan, a crucial – but often overlooked – part of the process is planning for your health care in the event of incapacity. If you get sick or injured and are unable to make decisions about your own medical treatment, you will need someone to make these decisions for you. While planning for incapacity is a relatively straightforward process, if you don’t have a plan in place, your loved ones could face extraordinarily challenging circumstances down the road. Planning ahead provides critical certainty for you and your family, and it is more than worth the time and effort involved.

If you are wondering what information you need to prepare your will, you already have one of the most important pieces: You know that you need to put an estate plan in place. Having an estate plan is important for a variety of reasons, and a will is a fundamental component of almost any estate planning strategy.

If you and your spouse agree that it is time to end your marriage, you may be considering an amicable divorce. An amicable divorce is a low-stress and cost-effective way to end a marriage, and it is a method that spouses in Texas are using with increasing frequency. Texas law allows spouses to file for a no-fault divorce; and, if you and your spouse are both ready to move on, filing on the basis of “insupportability” is the first step toward achieving an amicable resolution.