by Brian Douglas | Sep 3, 2018 | Estate Planning, Probate
Last week, a court in France ruled that a text message sent shortly before a man’s death in 2016 altering his will was not enforceable. The court decided that a text message altering the terms of a legally executed will cannot be verified, and so is not considered a...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 27, 2018 | Uncategorized
Depending on how you look at the year, we are either one-third of the way through the tax year (four months since you last filed taxes in April 2018), or we are in the last third of the calendar year (only four months until 2019!). No matter how you count it, the end...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 27, 2018 | Estate Planning
Aretha Franklin recently passed away at 76 due to advanced pancreatic cancer. Last week, the media reported that the Queen of Soul died without creating a will or trust. Her four sons filed in Oakland County Probate Court and her niece, Sabrina Owens, asked to be...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 15, 2018 | Estate Planning
Special Needs Planning for the Adult Sibling Whenever a family has a child with special needs, it is normally an all-hands-on-deck type of situation. Many times, the daily care of that child becomes the sole responsibility of the family. When the parents pass away,...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
In the State of Georgia, there are special benefits conferred to properties that qualify as homesteads. Only homeowners can receive the benefits of a homestead property, and these benefits are only available if the home is the owner’s legal residence as of January 1...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 6, 2018 | Estate Planning
In February 2018, the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act was signed into law. This law, which will go into effect in 2020, will expand Medicare coverage for enrollees with complex chronic illness. The purpose of...
by Brian Douglas | Aug 1, 2018 | Estate Planning
Understanding the Types of Powers of Attorney in Georgia A power of attorney is a part of every estate plan, but many different types of powers of attorney exist for various types of situations. Before meeting with an estate attorney, it helps to understand what each...
by Brian Douglas | Jul 30, 2018 | Real Estate
When you are closing on a sale to buy real estate, the title company or law firm handling the transfer may ask you how you want to take title to the property. If you are not prepared for this question or do not have a lawyer reviewing the documents, this can be a...