Covenants not to compete, also known as non-compete clauses, are often included in contracts for employment. The purpose is to protect the employer from an employee leaving the company and competing with it. As a bu...
Time Magazine online recently reported that in 2011, Apple and Google spent more money on patent litigation and defensive patent acquisitions than on research and development. As writer Sam Gustin noted, that's “not a good sign fo...
With marriage dissolution cases at over 50%, more prospective partners are looking for ways to protect assets in case their marriage fails. Prenuptial agreements and prenuptial alternatives in Conroe, Texas and other areas have be...
What is the Difference Between a Charitable Remainder Unitrust and a Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust? As we've discussed recently, charitable remainder trusts provide a vehicle to give assets to your favorite charity during your lifetime, get a tax break on the capital gains taxes now ...
Positive Aspects of Charitable Remainder Trusts If you want to give assets to your favorite charity, get a tax break now and provide income for yourself until your death, a charitable remainder trust may be the best option to meet your goals. Charitable remainder trusts are particularly s...
If You Are Thinking about a Charitable Remainder Trust, Read This First Many charitable-minded people like the idea of setting up a charitable trust to benefit their favorite non-profit in the future. Large charitable organizations have staff on hand to walk donors through the process of ...
Conroe Elder Law Attorney Discusses Medicaid and Asset Protection As individuals get older they need to face certain realities. One of these is that a time may come when they no longer can care for themselves. Sometimes a nursing home is the only viable option, as unacceptable as such a n...
Protect Your Assets and Your Beneficiaries with a Spendthrift Trust A spendthrift trust is a type of property control trust a grantor can establish to help protect trust property from a beneficiary's creditors. Oftentimes, a grantor may wish to leave money or other property to a child or ...
Government Forecloses on Trust Property Due to Settlor's Tax Bill U.S. v. Tingey, No. 12-4000 (10th Cir. May 29, 2013) The U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently published an opinion concerning government foreclosure of property titled in the name of a trust, essentially allowin...
Franchisors and franchisees share an interesting relationship among businesses. On one hand the former has a great deal of control over how the latter operates his business; on the other hand the franchisee has certain powers left to hi...
Prenuptial agreements have their place, but asking a prospective marriage partner to sign a form waiving the right to assets should a divorce be necessary is often seen as a sign that the one partner does not have faith in the relationship. Prenuptial al...
Conroe Elder Law Attorney Explains Miller Trusts Medicaid is a very useful provision for individuals who need financial assistance when they need to enter a nursing home. The cost of care in a facility for just a year exceeds any Social Security retirement payments, and is higher than mos...
Viable business contracts are the life blood of a company. Without clearly written and legally sound contracts companies would not be able to engage in dealings with clients and suppliers. It is very important that when contracts are drawn the...
Businesses have a life span, just as people do. An owner retires or decides the company no longer is necessary; partners separate; most business operations eventually cease. Whether yours is an LLC, corporation, part...
Qualifying for Medicaid: Conroe Elder Law Attorney explains Medicaid is unique among most federal programs because it is a joint venture with the state, and under Texas management. Medicaid eligibility in Conroe, Texas is not automatic once a person reaches a certain age or degree of disa...
Businesses often ask new employees to sign an agreement not to compete or go to work with a competitor should they leave the company. Non-compete clauses are in a class called restrictive covenants, and as such are strictly...
Everyone knows it takes money to start or grow a business. The amount of money you need varies according to the type of business you plan to start or your goals for growth. Like other challenges in life,...
What Are a Beneficiary's Rights Regarding Estate Property? Being named as a beneficiary of a trust or estate means your loved one thought about your well-being during the estate planning process and made plans to provide for you. As a beneficiary, you have certain rights regarding the han...
Celebrity sisters Jessica and Ashlee Simpson's parents recently finalized their divorce, ending a 35-year marriage. Prior to their divorce, the couple managed their daughters' wealth, but argued frequently about the direction of the girls' careers a...
Make Sure Your Will is Up to Date Before a Disaster Happens The recent tornadoes in north Texas and Oklahoma are a stark reminder that disasters can happen anytime to anyone. Dozens of people lost their lives and many are still missing. Our hearts go out to the families trying to put ...
Where Is the Best Place to Keep My Will? After you have created a will, you can take a break from thinking about dying, but only after you put your will in a safe place and decide who needs a copy. The standard suggestion is to keep your will in a fire box at home. The recent tornadoe...
Benefit corporations are a relatively new type of business entity in the United States. As of today, 16 U.S. states have passed legislation allowing benefit corporations to be formed in those states. Texas and 11 other sta...
Chris Peterson Appears on Lone Star Internet Radio's Weekly Business Hour On May 14, 2013, Chris Peterson appeared on Lone Star Internet Radio's Weekly Business Hour. You can listen to the show here. Chris talked about running a professional service practice as a business. He also disc...
Like a power of attorney, a court-ordered guardianship allows you to act on behalf of someone else. The protected person is known as the ward and the guardian's job is to provide or oversee the care and maintenance of the ward. But, unlike a power of atto...
In most cases, the estate or trust administration process goes smoothly. Trustees and estate administrators perform their duties and the beneficiaries don't have any complaints. In some cases, however, beneficiaries may believe certain matters are no...