A spouse’s death creates a difficult and demanding time for the surviving partner. As much as you might want space and time alone to process your grief, you may have certain responsibilities related to settling their affairs, including paying off spouse’s debts. Most Americans have some type of debt. The obligation to pay debts does […]
Estate Planning
LGBTQ+ Estate Planning to Protect You and Your Loved Ones by Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen
For LGBTQ+ Americans, estate planning can be even more important. Despite same-sex marriages being legally recognized since 2015, couples composed of sexual and gender minorities still face estate planning challenges not encountered by other “traditional” same-sex couples. Issues such as unaccepting family members, child adoption by nonbiological parents, and LGBTQ+ couples living together unmarried underscore […]
Remember to Update your Estate Plan After Divorce by Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen
The divorce process can be long and expensive. Getting the final decree is the end of one big effort, which probably felt exhausting. Yet, the work doesn’t end once the divorce decree is signed. Once you have gotten divorced, it’s prudent to update your estate plan. More Work After Divorce? Why Bother? A divorce has […]
Are Payable-On-Death Accounts Right For You? from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen
A payable-on-death account, also called a POD account or sometimes a transfer-on-death (TOD) account, is a common way to keep bank and investment accounts out of probate, the court-supervised process that oversees distributing a deceased person’s property. Most people want to avoid their estate going through probate because their heirs will receive the inheritance faster, […]