LawGuru Articles

Can I simply rely on an oral will? Oral wills, or nuncupative wills, are permitted in many states under limited circumstances. However, a form of guidelines should be utilized if you are planning on making an oral will to be assured that it will be honored. If for some reason you do not wish to make a written will (which is always the best [...]

Why (and when) could I utilize a codicil to my will? At times, circumstances in our lives may change. This can be due to a remarriage, birth, death, divorce, change of address, change of executor or guardian, or other situations where our present will may not cover everything that we now believe it should, but for the most part, it is still factual. We may [...]

When do I need a will, and what are the dangers of not having one? Theoretically, anyone with assets should have a will. A person without a will is said to have died intestate. When someone dies intestate, his or her assets generally pass as follows: if there is a spouse and no children or parents of the deceased, the spouse receives 100% of the assets; if there is a spouse [...]

What is an LLC? A limited liability company (LLC) is a form of business organization set up to offer liability protection to its members. When difficulties arise, LLC members may lose their investments in the company, but not their personal assets. LLCs are often better than a limited partnership, because in a limited partnership, one partner is personally liable [...]

Why do my favorite websites have “terms of use” agreements? To prevent misuse and abuse of those visiting, most reputable websites today have “terms of use” agreements. Those agreements must be read and agreed to before utilizing the services which the website offers. This is why you will see, for example, a complete set of guidelines that you must understand and agree to before [...]

Franklin Spirko Media

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Hated or Loved?

Although identity theft has been around for a long time, the Internet has caused a whole new problem. It seems that everywhere you turn you hear a story about identity theft ruining someone’s life. There are many steps you can take to give yourself protection from identity theft, and it is important that you take this stuff seriously. Anyone at any time can try to access your financial information, and if they are successful, you are in for a world of misery.

Protection from identity theft comes in many different forms. Many of the most important things you have to do to protect yourself from identity theft are things that you can do in your own home. It is important that you buy a paper shredder so that you can shred all of your important financial and personal documents before you put them in the trash. Those who are looking to steal your identity have no issues with pawing through your garbage looking for a what they need. If you are receiving credit card or even loan offers in the mail, it is important that these be shredded as well. This type of protection from identity theft is very cheap and inexpensive, but it’s also your first line of defense.

10 Tips: Mental illness can be emotionally — and financially — draining
By Laura T. Coffey

It can happen to anyone, from any walk of life, when you least expect it. A child can be diagnosed with autism. An aging parent can be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. A middle-aged spouse can be diagnosed with any number of incapacitating mental disorders.

While such illnesses take an obvious emotional toll, they can hurt families financially as well.

MILFORD — Colleen Birney has worked in the restaurant business for nearly a decade, so there's little the Milford resident doesn't know about proper alcohol-serving practices.
A bartender at Nello's Lacantina, Birney considers herself a good and knowledgeable server. But even she was "surprised" that it was legal in the state of Connecticut for parents to purchase alcohol for their underage children in a licensed restaurant.

By Gary D. Williams
Brigham Young University
Business owners are bombarded with information on what to do to be successful. Scores of books have been written on topics like "25 Tips for Successful Marketing," "Ten Rules to Grow a Business" or "Five Ways to Beat the Competition."
While that kind of information is important and can be very useful to entrepreneurs, it is just as important to know what mistakes not to make and what not to do when starting a new venture.

Lawsuit Loans. No Risk Loans
by: Fred Coutts

A relatively new source of financing is now available for both individuals and business owners. It is called lawsuit financing, often referred to as lawsuit loans or lawsuit funding. But these are not loans because the money does not have to be paid back unless the case is won.

Lawsuit financing (loans) help clients who are having financial difficulties. Lawsuit funders do not require credit checks, monthly payments, notes, or any other security.

Frequently, claimants have missed work or lost their job and can no longer meet their rent or automobile payments. In the past, these claimants have needed to accept lesser settlement amounts due to pressing financial difficulties. Now, clients can sustain their personal lives and give the attorney the necessary time to achieve the full value of the case.

Finding Public Domain Content
by: Joey Robichaux

One of the easiest places to find authoritative public domain content is ... your local used bookstore or library!

True -- virtually everything contained in the books you'll find at these locations were protected by copyright. But ... it's also true that many of these copyrights have expired -- making the contents of those volumes completely public domain.

US copyright law has gone through several iterations -- but the two things you need to remember are "75 years from copyright date" and "Sonny Bono"!

The copyright law originally stated that a copyright would last for 75 years. Thus, if a book were copyrighted in 1900, the copyright would expire in 1975. If a book were published in 1920, the copyright would expire in 1995. If a book were copyrighted in 1922, the copyright would expire in 1997. But ... if a book was copyrighted in 1923 or later, then things take on a whole new slant ... courtesy of then-Congressman Sonny Bono.

Do You Have a Case Against Your Stock Broker? Ten ways to Tell
by: Jake Zamansky's Blog for the Ordinary Investor

As an attorney who represents individual investors from around the Country in claims against their stock brokers, I hear a wide variety of complaints about brokers’ fraud and misconduct. If you believe that your broker has abused or harmed you, you may want to consider whether your complaint falls within any of the following typical complaint categories. If you fall into one of these categories, you may have a meritorious complaint against your broker.

Here are some guidelines to consider whether or not you have a case: