An online database has revealed the wills of Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, and other influential people of history. The importance of having a will is simply not a modern necessity, but has been needed throughout history. Let Essex Law Firm, a wills lawyer in Spring, TX, make sure your family is setup to receive what is rightfully due to them.
The formula, called the Income Shares Model, is designed to make the process fairer by considering both parents’ income and time spent with the child, as opposed to the Percentage of Income Model, which takes a flat-percentage of the noncustodial parent’s net income. Illinois, along with nine other states, including Texas, still use the old model. Some see the move as unwarranted, with an estimated cost being between $2 million and $3 million to implement, while others see the move as a step forward in evenly weighing the financial footing of both parents, and helping to curtail bitter disputes.
If Illinois decides to move forward, they will be joining the ranks with the other thirty-eight states who use the Income Shares model. As we see more states moving in that direction, it may be a matter of time before Texas does the same.
Sources:
chron.com
doover.com
Not intended to be a comprehensive list
Flags
Flying your flag in your subdivision? Your HOA can’t prohibit you from displaying your U.S., Texas or armed forces flags, except as allowed by law (e.g., “reasonable” provisions relating to flags, flagpoles, lights, and noise).
Probating a Will
Worried about privacy and the necessity to reveal the entire estate of the deceased person? The executor may now file an affidavit in lieu of an inventory, if no debts remain by the inventory due date. A sworn inventory and appraisement must, however, be provided to all beneficiaries (as opposed to filing with the Court, which is public record) other than those receiving specific gifts.
Had an automobile accident or possible homeowner’s claim? Want to ask your insurance agent if you might be liable before you file a claim? The agent cannot now report the information from your call to a claims database unless or until you file a claim under the policy.
Spousal maintenance (aka “alimony”)
Limit increased from $2,500 to $5,000 per month.
Mistaken paternity
Previously, a man could be adjudicated the father of a child by operation of law (he was married to the mother of the child) or by signing a document acknowledging he was the child’s father without DNA testing. It was very difficult and sometimes impossible to change this designation if the man later learned he was not the child’s father. This sometimes left a man paying child support for a child who was not biologically his. The new law allows a man in these circumstances to file the proper documents to establish that he is not in fact the father of the child.
First time DWI
Instead of a Class B Misdemeanor, the charge could be increased to a Class A if the person’s blood alcohol content is 0.15 or more. Significantly stiffer penalties.