Blog • The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith, P.C.

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Properly Funding Your Trust: Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones Behind

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / April 18, 2023

You’ve put in the hard work. You’ve set up a trust and you’re well on your way towards protecting your family’s future. Or are you? There are many steps when it comes to establishing a...

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Case Study: Why Your College Student Should Have Estate Planning Documents in Place and Some are Not the “Usual” Ones

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / April 11, 2023

Simplifying our lives sounds great - we crave it for many of the things in our lives. In fact, we watch endless videos on how to organize our homes to make us feel “put together”,...

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Using Transfer-on-Death Deeds to Avoid Probate

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / April 5, 2023

When it comes to planning your estate, you naturally want to make things as easy as possible for your beneficiaries. The last thing you want is for your property to get hung up in probate...

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Family Conversations About Your Estate Plan

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / December 19, 2022

With holidays upon us, you’ve got a lot on your mind, right? Turkeys and ham don’t make themselves, and the longer you put off gift shopping, the more stressful that affair becomes. And then, of...

Tough Conversations About Estate Planning Around the Holidays

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / December 11, 2022

In a world driven by social media, it’s easy to feel as if, despite all the insight we have into each other’s lives, our loved ones are further away than ever. And indeed, the data...

If Only Anne Heche Had Drafted an Estate Plan…

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / December 7, 2022

Anne Heche was an Emmy award-winning actress, well-known for her roles in such blockbuster hits as Donnie Brasco and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Well, we know what Heche didn’t do last summer:...

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How Living in a Community Property State (Like Texas) or a Common Law State Affects Your Estate Planning

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / October 26, 2022

Every state has unique statutory requirements for creating, integrating and implementing its estate planning laws. Every state, likewise, has unique marital interest laws that affect an estate plan. Therefore, if you are married or plan...

Don’t DIY It: Why Online Wills and Trusts Might Not Hold Up

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / October 14, 2022

In recent years, it seems like DIY estate planning services are popping up everywhere. These providers allow you to prepare your Wills and Trusts online at a considerably lower cost than it would take to...

Remembering a Loved One: 6 Ways to Step Up Your Memorial of a Loved One

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / September 18, 2022

Losing a loved one is never easy. After you say your final goodbyes, the lack of their presence in your life often leaves a gaping void, a sense that you have lost something special. However,...

Congrats on Having an Estate Plan…But, Where Are You Storing It?

By The Law Firm of Blanche D. Smith / August 25, 2022

So, you’ve got an estate plan… congrats. You’re officially better prepared for the future than two-thirds of the population. According to new data, only 33% of US adults have drafted any kind of estate planning...

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