A Kentucky appeals court recently held that a widow was entitled to half of about $2.33 million in transfer-on-death accounts that named her late husband’s children. Could that happen in Nebraska? We use a different system, called the elective share and “augmented estate,” but a TOD designation still may not be the last word if you’re married. Here’s how Nebraska treats TOD and POD accounts, what can be excluded, why the deadlines need early attention, and what to review if you’re planning in a second marriage.

One year after actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death, his widow reportedly sued the trustee of a family trust he created back in 1996 — decades before his marriage, his prenup, and his daughter. The reported allegations raise a question that lands close to home for many Nebraska blended families: what happens when an old trust and a newer prenuptial agreement point in opposite directions? We walk through how Nebraska law actually handles it — claims against revocable trusts, the elective share and its unforgiving deadlines, the will-based protections for omitted spouses and children, and the changes the Legislature just made through LB 838.