This column first appeared in the San Antonio Express News on September 25, 2017. There are a few things that you can say in your Will, but you have a more pressing legal issue you have not even recognized. When your first husband died, he was owner of a one-half community property interest in that house. His Will may have said it would pass to you, but you never probated the Will. Consequently, under Texas law, his estate is treated as though he died intestate (did not have

This column first appeared in the San Antonio Express-News on September 11, 2017. As of September 1, 2017 the law has changed. A new set of procedures has been enacted to help assure that your DPOA can be used when the need arises. Banks, brokers and other financial institutions must follow the new laws, and can no longer reject a DPOA on their whim. Unless one or more grounds for refusal exist under the new law, a person who is presented with and asked to accept a DPOA has t

This column first appeared in the San Antonio Express-News on September 5, 2017. (Part 3 in a series.) Regardless of the size of the estate – be it $50,000 or $5,000,000 - everyone should make legal plans to handle a possible future illness or incapacity. If you become incapacitated, you need someone trustworthy to pay your bills, handle your finances, file your taxes, and to carry on your financial existence. If you do not enact a legal plan in advance, the only alternative