Hegwood Law - December 2018

Take a look at our newsletter this month.

OCTOBER 2018 HEADLINES HEGWOOD

302-653-2411

HEGWOODLAW.COM • 281-218-0880

DECEMBER 2018

OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

W ith the end of the year coming up, I often find myself thinking about the beginning — the beginning of the year, my career, my law group, and everything else. In fact, as I meet with more clients and take on more cases each passing year, I can’t help but reflect the abundant reasons I opted to join the legal field in the first place. When I was younger, I watched as my grandparents tried to learn as much as they could regarding their own estate planning. While they had a good attorney, he drew up their will but did nothing else. I knew from then on that I wanted to help people like my grandparents make great informed decisions about their legacy and offer some peace of mind for them and their families. In my years as an attorney, helping clients remains my favorite aspect of my job. However, getting to work with local nonprofits in the area is a very close second. “My team here at Hegwood Law Group hosts four charity nonprofit events each year in order to shed light on all the amazing services they provide and help raise money. That way, they can continue to serve the people who need them most” My team here at Hegwood Law Group hosts four charity nonprofit events each year in order to shed light on all the amazing services they provide and help raise money. That way, they can continue to serve the people who need them most. Over the years, one of the organizations that has really captured my heart is Texas EquuSearch (TXEQ) Search and

Recovery. TXEQ officially started in August of 2000 with a mission to offer volunteer horse-mounted search and recovery for lost and missing persons. The organization was initially founded by director Tim Miller in dedication to the memory of his daughter, Laura, who was tragically abducted and murdered in north Galveston County in 1984. The team, composed entirely of volunteers, has been involved in nearly 2,000 searches across the U.S. and has returned over 400 missing people home to their families — many of whom might have died otherwise. I have heard Tim speak at several conferences, and every experience I’ve had has been profound; his passion for TXEQ is palpable. It is for this reason that my team and I hold our annual Cruisin’ for the Cause silent auction in October. This year, we had 80 people attend and raised approximately $3,300. While the mission of TXEQ is one that I will forever be passionate about, the nonprofit our group will be helping this month is Family Promise of Clear Creek, a network helping homeless families achieve sustainable independence. The organization is one of 200 affiliates across the country that mobilizes the faith community to transition families away from homelessness to permanent housing. This transition includes shelter, meals, and hospitality. It also offers supportive services to assist parents to find a job that can provide sustainable income. Especially with the holidays on the horizon, we want to try our best to help as many families as we can. We will raise money this month by inviting clients,

friends, fellow attorneys, and business owners to our annual Christmas Tea event. Additionally, we will also host a Toys for Tots drive so we can gather as many presents as possible to provide gifts for kids who otherwise feel like Santa forgot about them. If you would like to donate a toy to a child in need this Christmas or want more information about how you can help TXEQ or Family Promise of Clear Creek, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

From all of us here at Hegwood Law Group, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

-Kim Hegwood

281.218.0880

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IS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT REAL? What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Love

The idea of love at first sight is wonderfully romantic. Two strangers see each other across a crowded room. There's an instant, magnetic attraction, and suddenly they've found their match for all of eternity. In a world in which dating often requires a lot of work — work that comes with disappointment, rejection, and uncertainty — falling in love at first sight has strong appeal. But can it actually happen? Can your eyes tell you anything about love? The connection between the eyes and love has been described in poetry and prose since time immemorial — it’s the stuff of heroic epics and fanciful fairy tales. And evidence has increasingly shown that the human brain is hard-wired to both display and notice visual cues when gazing at a potential love interest. Enlarged pupils are one such cue. When you survey a person or object you are interested in, your brain releases a surge of dopamine — a chemical that controls the brain's reward and pleasure centers — which causes your pupils to dilate. In this sense, beauty really is “in the eye of the beholder.” In the last decade, researchers have determined that from a romantic and reproductive standpoint, both men and women are attracted to partners with bigger pupils. Studies demonstrate that when women are at their peak fertility, they might subconsciously be more attracted

to a person with sizable pupils because it could indicate a partner’s attraction to them. Likewise, researchers have reported that men seek out women with dilated pupils due to the association of larger pupils with youth and longevity. The connection between the eyes and enthrallment has inspired some of Shakespeare’s most iconic sonnets, and the science behind our eyes validates some of the Bard’s romantic claims. But does this connection between larger pupils and attraction

corroborate the idea of love at first sight? If you believe that attraction equates to true love, then absolutely. But if your definition of love requires a little more depth, then you may have to toss aside the idea of love at first sight and instead view your partner’s eyes as mere “windows” to their soul.

AN IMPORTANT GOAL TO SET

How the New Year Can Help With Financial Planning

Growing older is a fact of life, but as the new year rolls around, people often find themselves pondering their life journeys. Some follow the “new year, new me” adage that circulates on media platforms by setting resolutions and working hard to achieve them. Others sit back and reflect on the years that have passed by, feeling grateful for people and experiences. Whether you ring in the new year with goal-setting, self-reflection, or perhaps a mixture of both, this year in particular, our team here at Hegwood Law Group would like to encourage you to think about long-term care planning. These days, people are living longer. In fact, according to the Institute of Health Metrics, the average life-expectancy age all across the world increased by approximately 13 years from 1990 to 2013. But as the global average increases, it seems that families are becoming even less prepared to face the financial challenges of providing for

their medical care. We understand why this happens. The prospect of preparing for your own mortality seems strange and perhaps even slightly morbid. Nevertheless, proper preparation is important for both you and your family. Long-term planning addresses not only how you will pay for the kinds of medical support services you require as you age but also how you want to be taken care of, and by whom, in the event that you become incapacitated. We recommend that you start by assessing your finances, your health, and your family’s health history to get a feel for your expectations for the future. Then, you should have conversations with your loved ones about your wishes. Lastly, we recommend that you get in touch with an experienced long-term care planning attorney to discuss your financial options, such as long-term care insurance, nursing home Medicaid planning, asset protection, or VA benefits. All of our attorneys are well-versed in Texas law and will help you form a plan that matches your vision and ensure that it is all legally formalized. If you have further questions or want to discuss your options, give our office a call at 281-218-0880. Our team will help give you and your family some peace of mind this upcoming year.

2 HEGWOOD LAW GROUP

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Have You Heard of Our Give Back Program?

You Can Help Your Favorite Nonprofit Regarding the humanitarian movement, Gandhi famously said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Over the years, all of us here at Hegwood Law Group find this sentiment to be completely true. We are big proponents of supporting nonprofit organizations in particular because all the money they receive is used to further achieve their ultimate objective. What’s more, the key aspects of nonprofits are accountability, trustworthiness, honesty, and openness to every person who has invested time, money, and faith into their missions. Nonprofits do so much to provide services to people, but often, they struggle coming up with the necessary funds to help the ones who need them. It is for this reason that my team and I started our Give Back Program. We allow every client that we work with to select his or her favorite nonprofit. We don’t care which organization they choose; we just want the overall mission to represent a cause that is near and dear to our clients’ hearts. Once they pick the nonprofit they want to support, our team donates 10 percent of our attorney fees to that organization. We recognize that God has been very good to us in our own lives, so we all want to do our best to be good to others, as well. Here are three great local organizations in the Houston area that I support. 1) Pasadena, Texas - Habitat for Humanity Mission – A world where everyone has a decent place to live. Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity Pasadena Texas brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. www.pasadenahabitat.org

2) Innovative Alternatives Mission - We find solutions to life’s most difficult people problems through mediation, counseling, and training since 1989. We are a United Way Agency. We use proven, highly effective intervention tools in mediation, counseling, and training. This promotes systemic change and allows clients to achieve lasting benefits. www.innovativealternatives.org 3) The ARC of the Gulf Coast Mission - The Arc of the Gulf Coast provides provide advocacy and advice for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities including autism and related diagnosis on decisions regarding education, transition, employment, guardianship, and other important issues. www.arcgulfcoast.org

CHOCOLATE KRIS-CRINKLE COOKIES

WORD SEARCH

Ingredients

• • • • • • •

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

• • • •

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar, for rolling broken into small pieces

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and whisk in until mixture is well-combined and crumbly. 2. Add eggs and vanilla and stir by hand just until dough comes together. If dough is dry, use your hands to combine it into a soft, sticky dough. 3. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll the balls in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until just set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Candle Cookies Decorations Family

Gratitude Holidays Snowflake Snowman

Snowstorm Tradition Travel Winter

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HEGWOOD LAWGROUP Trusts | Estates | Probate | Elder Law | Family

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 Hegwood Law Group’s Community Involvement

2 What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Love An Important Goal to Set 3 Have You Heard of Our Give Back Program? Chocolate Kris-Crinkle Cookies 4 Hegwood Law Groups: Upcoming Events!

CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING EVENTS!

From now through Dec. 14, we will be collecting Toys for Tots at our office. Please drop off an unopened, new toy. If you need to talk to an attorney about your estate plan, we will offer a FREE initial consult if you bring a toy to donate to the Toys for Tots organization. Call us at 281-218-0880 to schedule your initial consultation. Dec. 11th: From 11 a.m.–1 p.m., we will have our Christmas Chari- Tea at Butler's Courtyard. Tickets are $15 and will include a tea party, silent auction, raffle, door prizes, and entertainment. All money raised from silent auction and 50/50 raffle will benefit Family Promise of Clear Creek. Please call 281-218-0880 to purchase your ticket. Dec. 18th: At 6:30 p.m., we will host a FREE estate-planning workshop titled, “Ten Gruesome Estate Planning Mistakes” in our office. To secure a spot, you must RSVP at 281-218-0880.