Estate Planning Archives - Page 52 of 54

charitable giving austin attorney liz nielsen

Three Questions Your Estate Planning Lawyer Should Ask You About Charitable Giving from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / March 5, 2018

All estate planning attorneys should be talking with their clients about charitable giving during an initial consultation. Ignoring the possibility of donating to charity can result in a lost opportunity both to you as the client and to the community.

Here are three questions your attorney should be asking you about charitable giving, either on your initial client worksheet or during your initial consultation.

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Small Business Owner? Know What Can Happen to Your Business If You Become Incapacitated or Pass Away from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / March 1, 2018

Preparing your company for your incapacity or death is vital to the survival of the enterprise. Otherwise, your business will be disrupted, harming your customers, employees, vendors, and ultimately, your family. For this reason, proactive financial planning — including your business and your estate plan — is key. Below are some tips on how to protect your company and keep the business on track and operating day-to-day in your absence.

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What do Successor Trustees and Executors Do? from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / February 26, 2018

Executor’s Duties An executor, sometimes called a personal representative, is the person who is named in a will, appointed by the court, and responsible for probating the will and settling the estate. Depending on the state, an executor may work under court supervision or, as is often seen in Texas, may use so-called “independent” administration for […]

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Bitcoin Should Be Part of Estate Planning, Too, from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / February 22, 2018

As more people are dipping their toes in to the secretive, and notoriously volatile, cryptocurrency markets, such as bitcoin, estate planning attorneys are starting to think about how to include those potentially valuable assets in their clients estate plans. According to this Barron’s article, the secretive nature of cryptocurrency, as well as its digital format, means […]

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Estate Planning for your Digital Assets from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / February 19, 2018

These days, nearly everyone has email, a facebook account, and digital photos. But what happens to your digital assets after you die? According to a recent article in Scientific American, judges and lawmakers are only recently trying to figure out how to handle the ever-changing realm of digital technology. The article suggests starting with making a list […]

same-sex couple estate planning austin texas

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Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / February 1, 2018

In 2015, in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of same-sex couples to marry in all 50 states, bringing marriage equality to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) couples no matter where they live. As a result, same-sex married couples now have access to all the estate planning tools that […]

Board Certified Estate Planning Attorney Liz Nielsen

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Attorney Liz Nielsen Receives Board Certification

Liz Nielsen / January 25, 2018

Nielsen Law is pleased to announce that attorney Liz Nielsen has become Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Less than 1% of Texas attorneys are certified in estate planning and probate law.

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High Deductible Health Plan? How Your Health Savings Account (HSA) Works with Your Estate Plan from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / January 22, 2018

If you’re enrolled in a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you must consider how your health savings account (HSA) fits into your estate plan—especially to make sure that any hard-earned money left in your HSA when you die goes where you want it.

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Agent Now Has Duty to Preserve Estate Plan from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / January 11, 2018

Imagine a situation where daughter is serving as the agent under mom’s financial power of attorney. Mom’s estate plan provides that her estate will pass 40% to daughter, 40% to son and 20% to mom’s favorite niece. The main asset in mom’s estate is a nice (and very valuable) Westlake home. In order to avoid probate on mom’s death, daughter files a lady bird deed, naming daughter and son as the only beneficiaries of the family home. Does the slighted niece have any recourse?

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Estate Planning: 3 Reasons We Run the Other Way from Austin Estate Planning Lawyer Liz Nielsen

Liz Nielsen / January 4, 2018

We understand that it feels hard to get around to estate planning; it sounds about as fun as getting a root canal (even worse for some people according to this study!). However, we also understand that we all want to make sure that our loved ones are protected and receive our hard-earned assets – regardless of whether we have $10 million or $10,000.