| Volume 16 Number 1 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
In Texas, a will does not have to be notarized to be valid. Having said that, a self-proving affidavit (a notary form) will make it easier and less costly to probate it.
You Won the Lottery! Now What?
KA-CHING! You are the proud owner of a winning lottery or power ball ticket. You're hoarse from screaming and cheering, but now what? Should you tell anyone? Hire an attorney? Go on a round-the-world cruise? Go out and buy the fastest car money can buy? Take a limo to lottery headquarters and call a press conference? Here's what the experts have to say. Click here for more.
Beware E-Mails From Feds
The federal agency charged with protecting consumers from Internet scams now finds itself wrapped up in one. Identity thieves have sent thousands of bogus e-mails, known as "phishing," purporting to be from the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the IRS and Justice Department, in an attempt to trick consumers into divulging financial information. Click here for more.
Dangerous Driving: Worst Days for Traffic Fatalities
Safe driving is no accident, it happens when drivers practice a safety-first initiative and common sense decision-making. For the millions of motorists who think accidents are random, uncontrollable events, consider these sobering statistics published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on traffic fataliites that define the most dangerous driving days. A clear pattern has emerged over 25 years since the NHTSA has been tracking this data. The pattern proves that drivers, not weather or fate, control the number of traffic fatalities. Click here for more.
Modulars Can Make for a Nice Retirement
Today's modular homes, many say, look as good as their "site-built" or "stick built" counterparts, which are built from the ground-up at the construction site. Modular homes, by contrast, are built in sections at a factory then assembled on-site. Modulars, by the way, aren't to be confused with "manufactured" or "mobile" homes, which are fully assembled at the factory before delivery. Click here for more.
Your Money
What will the auto lease really cost? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Unpaid ERISA contributions dischargeable under Chapter 7. The 6th Circuit has held that a bankrupt employer's status as a fiduciary under ERISA didn't make him a fiduciary for purposes of the Bankruptcy Code. Therefore, his pre-bankruptcy failure to contribute to his company's employee pension fund under a collective bargaining agreement was a dischargeable debt. Click here for more.