Our Blog - Nielsen Law

January 21, 2025

Enjoyable Things a Third-Party Special Needs Trust Can Be Used For From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

A Third-Party special needs trust (SNT), sometimes known as a “Supplemental Needs Trust”, allows an individual to provide for a disabled beneficiary without jeopardizing the beneficiary’s eligibility for needs-based government benefits. These SNT funds can generally be used to pay for almost anything that falls outside the basic support that programs such as Supplemental Security Income […]

January 14, 2025

Name a Guardian for Your Minor Children From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

No one will ever be you or parent exactly like you. More than likely, however, someone you know could do a decent job providing for your children’s general welfare, education, and medical needs if you can no longer do so. Parents with minor children should name someone to raise their children in the event both […]

January 7, 2025

How to Choose the Initial Trustee of Your Trust From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

When you establish a trust, you nominate someone to be the trustee. The trustee is in charge of managing the trust’s accounts and property. If you are creating a revocable living trust, you will likely be the initial trustee. You will also want to name successors or backup trustees to step in and manage the […]

December 31, 2024

Four Steps to Stop Mail Addressed to a Deceased Person By Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

Once you have been appointed the executor or personal representative of a deceased loved one’s probate estate, or when you step in as the successor trustee of the loved one’s trust, one of the first things you should do is to notify the post office of the death and ask them to forward the deceased […]

December 24, 2024

How Do I Create an Estate Plan with an Only Child? From Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

Stereotypes surrounding “only child syndrome” have largely been debunked, as recent studies show that only children, on average, develop social skills similar to those of children with siblings.[1] Further, outdated perceptions surrounding only children have shifted as the average size of the American family has shrunk, and one-child families have become far more common. Raising […]

December 17, 2024

Have You Checked Your Beneficiary Designations Lately? From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

You regularly check the balances of your retirement, bank, and investment accounts. But when was the last time you checked the beneficiary designations on these accounts (and really, all the other accounts that allow you to name a beneficiary)? It may have been years since you first opened an individual retirement account, bought a life […]

December 10, 2024

Michael Jackson’s Estate Sells Music to Sony for $600M From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, but the settling of his estate continues more than 15 years after his death due to a lingering tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other legal challenges, including a lawsuit brought by his mother over a deal to sell part of his music rights to Sony […]

December 3, 2024

Wills, Trusts, and Dying Intestate: How They Differ from Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

Most people understand that having an estate plan benefits them and their loved ones. However, many individuals do not initiate the estate planning process because they do not fully understand the nuances of the core estate planning tools such as wills or trusts, additionally they do not understand the full implications of dying without either […]

November 26, 2024

The Passing of James Earl Jones: A Legacy Which Speaks for Itself from Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

“No, I am your father.” These words, uttered by James Earl Jones in his voice-over role as Darth Vader, are indelible in the minds of Star Wars fans. Jones is also well known for voicing Mufasa in The Lion King and a series of cable news promotions in which he declared, “This is CNN.” But Jones’s […]

November 19, 2024

Why Estate Planning is Important for Everyone from Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

Regardless of your age, race, gender, or sexual orientation properly protecting your future and your loved ones requires a plan. Without estate planning executed by you, state law will fill in the gaps with default choices for your decision makers and recipients of your money and property. For some members of the LGBT community, both […]