As we wrap up Thanksgiving and move into Christmas, I am reminded of what makes the holidays special. For me, it is always family and friends. My family, like many of yours, has experienced both the joy of new family members and the loss of others. As I work to complete my holiday shopping and finalize my business plan for next year, I wanted to share some of this year's highlights with you. My husband and I have a Read More
Three Safety Measures in Place for Surviving Spouses
Texas is a community property state. This means that all property amassed during the marriage is equally owned by each spouse, subject to certain exceptions. However, what happens when there is an agreement in place that divides up the marital property unevenly, or when all property owned at the time of passing was separate property held by only one spouse? Does the surviving spouse have any rights to the property or Read More
Planning Tips for the Organizational Genius…And the Rest of Us
One of the most important things you can do to assist those you leave behind is to make sure all of your affairs are in order - and I'm not even talking about your legal documents. While having all of your estate planning documents in order is an important component to providing an easy transition for your loved ones, there are five other matters that should be addressed to provide your loved ones with a peaceful, Read More
Estate Planning Tips for People Under 40
It is a common misconception that estate planning should happen after you have retired and have accumulated significant net worth. However, it is much better to be prepared before you are 'over the hill.' A proper estate plan provides your family with protection if the unexpected should happen. Below are a few tips to help make sure you are prepared. Tip #1: Focus on the Basics Your estate plan doesn't need to be Read More
“Best Attorney in Las Colinas & Coppell 2015” by Living Magazine
Debbie Cunningham was recently selected as "Best Attorney in Las Colinas & Coppell" for 2015 by Living Magazine. Each year, the magazine asks its readers to vote in over 100 categories for the companies they consider the best. Plan for Life's 'What-Ifs' In this day and age, we have access to more news, videos, pictures, and tweets than we have hours in the day. Anytime Mother Nature strikes or there Read More
Digital Asset Series Part IV: Estate Planning for Digital Assets
Welcome to Part IV of our series on digital assets. The previous blogs have explained what constitutes a digital asset and discussed some of the most common types. Our final article in this series focuses on options and suggestions for incorporating digital assets into your estate plan. Since there is no standard policy to plan for digital asset succession after death, each asset should be examined on an individual Read More
Digital Asset Series Part III: Additional Types of Digital Assets
In Part II of this series, I discussed some of the most common types of digital assets. Today we are going to cover financial accounts, business accounts, domain names or blogs and an assortment of other digital assets. Like the previously discussed assets, some institutions have policies in place for accessing the assets of a deceased individual, however, most do not. Let’s look at these digital assets in a little Read More
Digital Asset Series Part II: The Most Common Types of Digital Assets
In Part I of this series, I defined and provided examples of digital assets. Today we are going to focus on the two most popular categories of digital assets: personal and social media. Some sites, like Facebook and Gmail, have specific policies in place for handling your digital assets after your death. However, many digital sites and services have yet to develop such policies. Despite that fact, there is still a Read More
Estate Planning for Newlyweds
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes… an estate plan? Once the ink on the marriage license is dry, newlyweds should apply the same degree of planning as they did on their special day to the protection of their future. Many young couples put off creating or updating their estate plan because they feel it is unnecessary and costly, but it’s important to include your spouse in several legal documents so Read More
How to Protect Your Digital Assets
For most of us, updating our social media, sending emails, and checking our bank accounts online has become second nature and is a daily part of our life. But what happens to all of your accounts if you suddenly pass away? You have a lifetime’s worth of online files and accounts that may become inaccessible which causes more stress for your loved ones. Luckily, there is a way to protect all of these digital assets by Read More
