This column first appeared in the San Antonio Express News on December 22, 2017. On Friday, December 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) into law. The new law makes large modifications to the income tax system, but this column will focus on changes to the estate and gift tax system. The house version of the TCJA proposed to eliminate the estate tax altogether. The senate version retained the estate tax, but doubled the allowable exemption. The fin

This column first appeared in the San Antonio Express-News on December 1, 2017. In 2013, the Texas Legislature amended section 112.035 of the Texas Property Code (not the Probate Code) to expand asset protection opportunities. They did not, however, make the new law simple or understandable and there have been no reported court decisions interpreting the 2013 law changes. Historically, the idea of a person hiding their own assets from their creditors was largely disfavored. I