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, […]
Estate Plan
Estate Planning and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles by Austin Estate Planning Attorney Elizabeth Ziegler
Long time readers of this blog will be familiar with the notion that your estate is your money, your property, and even your online assets. We also talk at length about how to handle real property in your estate plan, but there’s one kind of property that’s often passed over when discussing your plan — […]
When Rock Legends Pass Away: The Possible Fates of Meat Loaf’s $40 Million Estate From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen
Meat Loaf, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday, passed away earlier this year at the age of seventy-four. The singer behind 1977’s Bat Out of Hell—one of the best-selling albums of all time—experienced ups and downs befitting his larger-than-life persona. He hit bottom with his 1983 bankruptcy but rode a 1990s career rebirth to […]
Financial Exploitation: Dutiful Child or Manipulator of Older Adults? From Austin Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen
As parents age and their physical and mental capacities diminish, it is natural for their adult children (recognizing the parents’ decreasing ability to care for themselves) to step in and help them. Often, a specific child will take over the bulk of the responsibilities, such as taking the parent to doctor’s appointments or the attorney’s […]