Landowner Alert System 10-6-2020
Condemnation: Texas Central’s proposed Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line gets long-sought approval from the Federal Railroad Administration. Whether Texas Central has eminent domain authority to condemn unwilling landowners remains to be fully litigated. Please see the the following article for recent … Continue reading
National Estate Planning Awareness Week: October 19-25, 2020
By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor Along with cooler weather, October brings National Estate Planning Awareness Week! This is the perfect time to think about the condition (or even existence) of your estate plan. Estate planning enables you to: protect … Continue reading
Landowner Alert System 8-25-20
Estate Planning: Planning for your potential disability or incapacity is not what you necessarily think of as “estate planning.” But, designating a trusted family member or friend to manage your assets and aid in your healthcare decisions is a critical … Continue reading
Planning for Your Disability to Protect Your Legacy
By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor The most distressing situation that a client can bring to us is when an elderly or ill person has been taken advantage of financially by a third party who purports to be a friend … Continue reading
Landowner Alert System 7-14-20
Pre-Condemnation Pipeline Routing: Pipeline projects are booming in Texas, putting thousands of landowners at risk of having their property taken by condemnation. Texas law allows pipeline companies to choose the route of a pipeline without any oversight by government or … Continue reading
Landowner Alert System 5-29-20
Texas Ecolab Program: “Ecolab is an alternative for landowners who want to reduce their taxes, but are not interested in grazing animals in order to obtain an open space valuation. Landowners can host research on their property by a public … Continue reading
2020 Brings Dramatic Changes to Pay-out Requirements for Inherited IRAs and Retirement Plans
By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor The pay-out requirements for people inheriting Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and other retirement plans have changed dramatically. Legislation passed in late December of 2019, called the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Act (the … Continue reading
Updating Your Estate Plan
By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor This summer I moved a just-graduated adult child into her first apartment in a big city. Her adult life is taking shape as she takes the bus to work and the commuter rail to … Continue reading
The Importance of a Complete Will
By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor I have never met a client who says they want their Will to distribute only a part of their estate, and then they want the family to figure out the rest through four years … Continue reading
Settling Into a New Estate Tax Environment
Settling Into a New Estate Tax Environment By Margaret Menicucci, Attorney & Counselor In my November 2nd blog, I reflected on the status of gift and estate taxation with the tax reform act looming in the background. The Tax Cuts … Continue reading