It seems like every month, if not every week, there is a new story about a court-appointed Guardian who has taken advantage of an elderly person the Guardian was supposed to be looking out for. Most Guardians do a fabulous job, but we only hear about those who do a bad one. We hear about the few Guardians who steal from their charges or neglect the people they are supposed to be taking care of. In all likelihood, if a Court ever appoints a Guardian to be in charge of your affairs, that Guardian … [Read more...] about Don’t Rely on a Guardian
Texas History – What Hurricane Caused the Most Property Damage in Texas?
On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike, a high Category 2 storm (110 mph), roared into Galveston and became the most destructive hurricane in Texas with $30 billion in damages and one of the top three in U.S. history. Only Hurricanes Katrina (2005; Category 3 in Louisiana; $89.4 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars) and Hurricane Andrew (1992; Category 5 in Florida and Category 3 in Louisiana; $40.72 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars) surpassed Ike in destructiveness. … [Read more...] about Texas History – What Hurricane Caused the Most Property Damage in Texas?
Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Charles S. Woolworth (1856-1947) - Co-Founder Five-and-Ten-Cent Store Charles "Sum" Woolworth and his brother, Frank Woolworth, founded the F.W. Woolworth Co. Frank started the first store and then hired Sum to manage the second store as a partner. In 1888, Frank suggested Sum buy out his brothers’ share of the Scranton store, thus becoming the first franchisee of Woolworth’s. Sum developed the brothers’ "5¢ & 10¢" merchandising model. Woolworth’s concept was widely copied, and five-and-ten … [Read more...] about Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Special Event:
Please welcome John David Tipton, Jr. as the newest member of the Mendel Law Firm, L.P. John graduated from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, VA and was admitted to the Texas State Bar in November 2011. … [Read more...] about Special Event:
Your Digital Movies
If you have a physical copy of a movie on a DVD, it is easy to give that copy to another person. It has a tangible form and you might even plan to bequeath it to someone after you pass away. People are used to using their estate plans to pass on their physical property. Things are different today, however. We do not always have a physical copy of something. Instead of having a movie on a DVD or videotape, you might just have a digital copy of the movie stored on your computer or attached to … [Read more...] about Your Digital Movies
Texas History – What Was the Largest Hurricane to Hit the Texas Coast?
The largest tropical cyclone of record to hit the Texas coast, Hurricane Carla, made landfall at Port O’Connor on September 11, 1961, and raked the coast from Corpus Christi to Port Arthur. … [Read more...] about Texas History – What Was the Largest Hurricane to Hit the Texas Coast?
Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945) - American Confectioner & Philanthropist Milton S. Hershey is the founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company and the "company town" of Hershey, Pennsylvania. In 1918, Hershey transferred the majority of his assets, including control of the company, to the Milton Hershey School Trust fund, to benefit the Industrial School. The trust fund has a majority of the voting shares in The Hershey Company, allowing it to keep control of the company. In 1951, the school was … [Read more...] about Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Thought for the Day:
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. Robert Collier … [Read more...] about Thought for the Day:
Fighting Discrimination
No one knows that life isn't fair more than people who have faced discrimination because of who they are. We have come a long way in this country towards ending this discrimination, but we all know that it continues. LGBTQ couples and individuals are constantly having to fight for their basic rights. Most of the fights today are over the right to get married. However, there is an interesting twist to that fight in a challenge over a New York Will. Frank Mendelbaum passed away a wealthy man … [Read more...] about Fighting Discrimination
Texas History – What Hurricane Caused the Most Deaths in Texas?
The hurricane that occurred at Galveston on September 8, 1900 was the greatest natural disaster in the United States at that time. From one to five feet of water covered the entire island at the height of the storm. An estimated 6,000 to 8,000 persons were declared missing or dead and an additional 2,000 perished elsewhere along the coast. The storm was so intense that the low pressure system held together as it tracked northward to the Great Lakes and then into the North Atlantic within four … [Read more...] about Texas History – What Hurricane Caused the Most Deaths in Texas?
