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OCTOBER 2018 HEADLINES HEGWOOD
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APRIL 2019
IN HONOR OF NATIONAL SIBLINGS DAY
The Most Important Women in My Life
S iblings. At various points in our lives, they can be our best friends or our worst enemies — sometimes fulfilling both roles at the exact same time! To honor the amazing and multifaceted relationships siblings share, Claudia Evart created National Siblings Day in 1995, and since this national celebration falls on April 10, there's no better time to write up a tribute to my sisters, Terry and Robbie, two of the most influential women in my life and my best friends. “There's no better time to write up a tribute to my sisters, Terry and Robbie, two of the most influential women in my life and my best friends.” In most families with multiple children, there are certain roles associated with the kids’ birth orders. For example, the oldest tends to serve as the leader of the pack, constantly striving to win over the hearts of their elders. Middle children, however, often experience a kind of hierarchical confusion because they are neither the oldest nor the youngest. To combat these feelings, they will often make a name for themselves among their peers as a social butterfly. The babies of the family tend to be the most free-spirited due to parents’ more laissez-faire attitude toward rules and consequences, which means they often end up being fun-loving and outgoing.
While not everyone will fall into these roles perfectly, in my family, we fit them to a T — and we constantly give each other a hard time about it! Since I am the oldest, my sisters call me bossy. Terry is constantly working the middle child angle, and Robbie is certainly the baby of the family. But our ragging on each other is all in good humor, and we would not have it any other way. In addition to giving each other a hard time, we certainly make our adorably sweet mom roll her eyes at us from time to time. In fact, I like to tell people that my mom is afraid of us because one year — without any prior planning — all three of us gave her the exact same birthday card! She opened the first one and said, “Oh wow! That is cute.” Then, she opened the second one and laughed at the coincidence. But by the time she got to the third one, she said, “Now I am actually afraid!” This crazy moment just goes to show that, even though we are completely different people, our brains definitely work the same. A lot of our mom’s other eye-rollingmoments occur when we all go shopping together. Since my mom barely reaches 5 feet, we often “lose” her in the aisles. We will jokingly tag one another to keep an eye on Mom. She gets so aggravated with us, but after all these years, she has surely become a major player in our family teasing. We are always keeping each other on our toes, and even though
we had times during our childhood when we fought, I cannot imagine being an only child. My life would be far less entertaining if Terry and Robbie were
not a part of it. In fact, my relationships with my sisters were influential in my decision to have three children of my own — I wanted them to experience the same joy, support, and hilarity that I had and still have the pleasure of knowing. While my sisters and I will always strive to take care of one another and our mom, in my practice, I have found that not all sibling relationships function this way. There have been instances where my clients have left one child in charge of financial distribution. In many cases, this leads to a plethora of problems. I fully believe that by working with us to get plans and considerations in order, clients set their children up for the best possible outcomes. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today.
-Kim Hegwood
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EXPLORING THE CRIMES OF ANTARCTICWILDLIFE Legal Case Study: Adélie the Rock Thief
On an island off the coast of Antarctica, a BBC film crew caught footage of a crime taking place. In the video, as one male Adélie penguin leaves his nest to search for additional rocks to add to it, his neighbor waddles over, removes a rock from the nest, and carries it back to his own. When the first penguin returns from his search, his neighbor plays it cool, but at each opportunity, he repeats the crime and steals his neighbor’s rocks. While animals aren’t actually subject to legal action, and the Adélie penguin was only behaving according to natural instinct, the fine writers for the blog Legal Grounds point out that the rock thief situation presents an interesting legal case study. By taking his neighbor’s rock and putting it in his own nest, the neighbor penguin committed an act of theft. Theft is defined as “the taking of someone else’s property with the intent to permanently deprive the victim of that property.” In some places, when a thief leaves the scene of the crime, the theft is considered complete. If the thief returns and steals additional items, that could be considered a new crime and result in additional charges. So, since the neighbor penguin takes a rock, leaves the scene of the crime, and returns, he could be found guilty of multiple theft charges. If he’d decided to go big and take his neighbor’s entire nest at once, he might’ve been charged with grand theft.
Now, if the penguin who was stolen from had used force to protect his precious nest rocks, the case would be complicated even further. Allowable force is generally limited in cases of theft. To prove self-defense, the victim penguin would have to show there was a threat of force against him, that he didn’t provoke the neighbor penguin in any way, and that he didn’t have the option to escape. From a legal perspective, it was probably best that the victim penguin didn’t use force.
For now, we’ll leave the Adélie penguins to their nest-building business and save the legal cases for the human world.
IN THE SEASON OF GROWTH AND RENEWAL
3 Tips to Help Your Aging Parents Plan
With the beginning of spring comes renewal and growth. While this season is typically regarded positively, if you’re trying to help your aging parents organize their finances and plans for long-term care in the future, a season associated with growth might be more stressful than joyful. While you understand that aging is an inevitable reality of life, it can still be difficult to watch your parents grow older. Broaching the topic of death and the logistical truths associated with it makes this even harder. According to the Public Broadcasting Network, 85 percent of families will only have these difficult conversations during or after a health scare or high-stress crisis. By starting the conversation earlier and discussing important financial questions with your parents, you’ll ultimately make the process easier on everyone. Here are three tips to keep in mind.
to happen someday. Prepare yourself for the conversation by doing your research so you have a clear understanding of the options available to them. Then, try to work through your emotions as best you can beforehand so that when you sit down for the discussion, you can help to make logical decisions rather than emotional ones. Documents There are two extremely important legal documents your parents should have in place: a statutory durable power of attorney and a medical power of attorney. These two documents are so important because they give a designated individual the legal authority to make legal, financial, and health care decisions for them should they be unable to do so. If your parents don't have a durable power of attorney or a medical power of attorney in place and they become incapacitated, you will have to go to court in order to be given the legal authority to become their guardian. Care Most seniors will need some form of long-term care. The cost of this can be overwhelming. It is important to address this plan with your parents. Speak with them about plans for how to pay for their care as they age, but be sure to start sooner rather than later.
Emotions No one likes to think about losing his or her parents, but unfortunately for all of us, it’s going
For help constructing a long-term care plan as well as a will, durable power of attorney, and other important legal documents, call us today!
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In a Plant’s Defense
The Interesting Methods They Use to Fight Predators
Many trees and plants are beginning to bloom, which means that they will soon have to ward off various predators. Most animals have a fight-or-flight response when faced with a dangerous situation, but plants can’t run or physically fight the dangers they face on a daily basis. However, what they lack in claws and teeth, they make up for in chemical and mechanical defenses. External Defenses Many of us are familiar with thorns, prickles, and spines, which are all examples of a plant’s physical defense. But many other plants’ physical defenses are not as obvious. Trees protect themselves with thick, hard-to-eat bark, which is comprised of a natural polymer called lignin. Leaves are often coated in a natural wax, which deters most insects and pathogens. Some leaves have trichomes, which are sharp, hair-like features that stab or prick insects’ legs as they try to land or walk on its surface. Trichomes often also release toxins that can cause irritation and inflammation. Some plants contain microscopic, sharp crystals that puncture and inject chemicals into an animal’s mouth once they’ve bitten it. Internal Defenses When a plant’s external defense fails, its internal protection takes charge. A plant lacks an immune system; instead, each
cell is programmed to defend against any foreign object that comes in contact with it. If an insect or disease attacks the plant, the plant will thicken its cell walls with waxy plating, close its leaf pores, and kill off sections of itself to preserve the whole plant. Plants also have unique chemicals that are deadly to insects and microbes, some of which we use today as seasonings, medicine, or drugs. In addition to toxic compounds, plants can release hormones into the air that warn neighboring plants or even attract other insects to kill would-be attackers.
If you’ve decided to plant a garden this year, take some time to find out which natural defenses your plants wield.
CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKES
WORD SEARCH
Ingredients
• • • • • • • • •
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
• • •
2/3 cup whole buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated 1 (4-ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped
3 large eggs
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda
• •
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 (5x3-inch) disposable aluminum foil loaf pans, lightly greased
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Beat sugar, butter, and canola oil at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. 3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. 4. Stir zucchini, semisweet chocolate, and vanilla extract into batter until blended. Spoon batter into lightly greased loaf pans, filling to two-thirds full. 5. Bake at 350 F for 30–35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks, about 1 hour.
Rainbow Easter Prank Passover
Fool Showers Taurus Hoax
Spring Butterfly Dandelion Mischief
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HEGWOOD LAWGROUP Trusts | Estates | Probate | Elder Law | Family
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 The Most Important Women in My Life 2 A Chilly Legal Case Study
3 Tips to Help Your Aging Parents Plan
3 An Unmoving Defense
Chocolate Zucchini Cakes
4 Hegwood Law Group’s Upcoming Events!
CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMINGOFFICE EVENTS!
Workshop: ‘How to Plan for Children With Disabilities ’ April 17
Hegwood Law Group’s Third Annual Derby Day April 30
Through our FREE workshop this month, titled “How to Plan for Children With Disabilities,” we can help you find the assistance you need and show you how to ensure your child’s special needs will be met when you are gone or no longer able to serve as their primary caregiver. The workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. in our office.
We are excited to announce that Hegwood Law Group will be hosting our third annual Kentucky Derby Southern Special. After such an amazing turnout last year, we can’t wait to see all of you decked out in the best hats and jackets you can find. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Arc of the Gulf Coast, a nonprofit dedicated to providing relief during a one-time crisis to those less fortunate through donations. The event will take place at the Bay Oaks Country Club. Doors open at 10:45 a.m.
Workshop: ‘Everything You Need to Know About Asset Protection’ April 23
Planning for asset protection can be an uncomfortable process, but working with a compassionate, honest, and well-informed estate planning attorney can offer you peace of mind regarding the best ways to safeguard your assets. To get the answers you need, check out our FREE workshop titled “Everything You Need to Know About Asset Protection.” The workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. in our office.
To secure a spot for our workshops or our third annual Kentucky Derby Day, RSVP at 281-218-0880 or email heather@hegwoodlaw.com.
HEGWOOD LAW GROUP
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