James Madison (1753-1836) - 4TH President of the United States, 1809-1817 James Madison was an American statesman and political theorist. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for being influential in the drafting of the U. S. Constitution and as the key champion and author of the U. S. Bill of Rights. Madison helped form the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson, and later became Jefferson’s Secretary of State, where he helped with the supervision of the Louisiana … [Read more...] about Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Thought for the Day:
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Maya Angelou … [Read more...] about Thought for the Day:
What is Your Problem?
You have undoubtedly heard over and over again the many reasons why you need an estate plan. If you have not, take some time to read some older posts on this blog. We have talked about the subject many times. Most Americans do not have an estate plan. Many of them are like you. They look for information about estate planning in places like this blog. They read the reasons why they need an estate plan. Yet, there is something that stops them from taking the next step and calling an estate … [Read more...] about What is Your Problem?
Texas History – Do You Know What Texas Television Station Was the First to Offer Educational Programming?
KUHT-TV in Houston commenced broadcasting on May 25, 1953, from the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building on the University of Houston campus, as the first public television station in the nation. Its dedication ceremonies were broadcast on June 8 of that year. The station’s initial cost was an investment of $350,000 and had an annual operating budget of about $110,000. Originally licensed to both University of Houston ("UH") and the Houston Independent School District, UH became its sole licensee in 1959. … [Read more...] about Texas History – Do You Know What Texas Television Station Was the First to Offer Educational Programming?
Thought for the Day:
Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. Lance Armstrong … [Read more...] about Thought for the Day:
Non-Attorney Estate Planners
When people first start looking into getting an estate plan, many of them start by looking online for information. They type some keywords into a search engine and visit the pages that show up looking for information. That might be how many of you got to this page and why you are reading now. If that is you, then you need to be careful. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people online who are trying to sell you bad estate documents that you do not want or need. These bad documents can … [Read more...] about Non-Attorney Estate Planners
Texas History – Do You Know What Texas Store Was the First in the State to Install Escalators?
In 1909 the Sanger Brothers store became the first store in the state to install escalators. Philip, Isaac, Lehman, Jacob, David, Sam, and Alexander Sanger established their wholesale and retail dry goods firm in 1857. Isaac opened the first store in McKinney and was joined by Lehman in 1859 and by Philip in 1860. Each of the brothers ran a store and as more brothers joined the business more stores were added. In 1868, the firm became the first Texas business to open a buying office in New York, … [Read more...] about Texas History – Do You Know What Texas Store Was the First in the State to Install Escalators?
Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) - 37TH President of the United States, 1963-1969 Lyndon B. Johnson was born in a small farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas. In 1926, Johnson attended Southwest Texas State Teachers’ College, participating in debate and campus politics, which helped refine his skills of persuasion and political organization. After college Johnson taught Mexican-American children at the Welhausen School in Cotulla, where he discovered his desire to make a difference and perhaps better the … [Read more...] about Famous Estates – Legacy Champ or Chump?
Thought for the Day:
Always do what you are afraid to do. Ralph Waldo Emerson … [Read more...] about Thought for the Day:
Digital Assets in Texas
Administering an estate today has many challenges that were not present even a decade ago. The world has changed a lot with the popularity of personal computers and the Internet. Today, estate administrators have to worry about the deceased's social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook. The estate has to figure out how to gain access to these accounts and shut them down. A few states have specific laws about these digital accounts that grant the administrator of the estate access. … [Read more...] about Digital Assets in Texas
