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What To Do When Someone Dies, Part 4: Should You Choose an Informal or Formal...
A Minnesota Probate Attorney Explains the Difference Between Informal and Formal Probate As stated in my prior posts, there are many different paths to choose when an estate needs to go through...
View Article20 Costly Misconceptions About Wills and Trusts
Misconception #1: A Will avoids probate. No. A Will is the primary tool of the probate system. Your Will is like a letter to the Court telling the Court how you want your property distributed. Then...
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A Simple Will Is Not Enough
A Minnesota Estate Planning Attorney Explains Why You Need to do More Than Draft a Will A basic last will and testament cannot accomplish every goal of estate planning; in fact, it often cannot even...
View Article8 Potential Problems With Revocable Living Trusts
Problem #1: Choosing the wrong trustee. Many people believe that you must name your bank as your trustee, but this is not the case. You act as your own trustee (if you are married, your spouse can...
View Article12 Problems That Could Cost Your Family a Fortune – and Their Solutions
Minnesota Estate Planning Attorney Discusses Frequent Issues/Concerns that Arise When Handling Someone's Estate Problem #1: Probate. Probate is the Court-supervised process of passing title and...
View Article8 Dangers of Owning Property as Joint Tenants
Minneapolis Estate Planning Lawyer Cautions Clients on Joint Ownership of Property One of the most common questions I am asked is whether someone should add another person to the deed to their home...
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Helping the Family Prepare for Loved Ones in Advancing Age
Advance Planning Can Help Relieve the Worries of Alzheimer’s Disease The “ostrich syndrome” is part of human nature; it’s unpleasant to observe that which frightens us. However, pulling our heads...
View Article19 Smart Ways to Protect Your Assets
Minneapolis Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Explains How to Protect Your Assets Smart Way #1: Make a promise to yourself -- now. Make a personal commitment to yourself and your family that you will...
View ArticleUpdating Your Estate Plan, Part I: Why Your Plan May Need Maintenance.
Minneapolis Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Explains Why Your Estate Plan Needs MaintenanceWhen you buy a new car, everything works perfectly. (At least, you hope it does.) But then in 3,000...
View ArticleUpdating Your Estate Plan, Part II: Signs It's Time to Update Your Estate Plan
A Minnesota Estate Planning and Probate Attorney Lists 20 Red Flags That Signal When Your Will or Living Trust is Out of DateI offer clients the opportunity to sit down with me and review their estate...
View Article14 Costly Misconceptions About Planning for Your Senior Years
A Minneapolis Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Discusses Estate Planning Issues Specific to SeniorsMisconception #1: Most seniors move into nursing homes as a result of minor physical ailments that...
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Protect Your Family Cabin with a Trust
Protecting Your Vacation Home with a Cabin Trust Many people own a family vacation home--a lakeside cabin, a beachfront condo--a place where parents, children and grandchildren can gather for...
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Put Your Spouses Name on the Deed to Your House
A Shared Home but Not a Joint Deed Many people erroneously assume that when one spouse dies, the other spouse receives all of the remaining assets; this is often not true and frequently results in...
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8 Things to Consider When Selecting a Caregiver for Your Senior Parent
8 Things to Consider When Selecting a Caregiver for Your Senior Parent As a child of a senior citizen, you are faced with many choices in helping to care for your parent. You want the very best care...
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When to Involve Children in Estate Planning
When to Involve Adult Children in the Estate Planning Process Individuals who are beginning the estate planning process may assume it's best to have their adult child(ren) join them in the initial...
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How Do You Put Assets Into Your Trust?
What Does the Term "Funding the Trust" Mean in Estate Planning? If you are about to begin the estate planning process, you have likely heard the term "funding the trust" thrown around a great deal....
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Transferring Shares in A Business
Estate Planning: How Certificates of Shares Are Passed Down How is the funding handled if you decide to use a living trust? Certificates represent shares of a company. There are generally two types of...
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Paying for Your Grandchildren’s Education
The bond between a grandparent and grandchild is a very special one based on respect, trust and unconditional love. When preparing one’s estate plan, it’s not at all uncommon to find grandparents who...
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Life Insurance and Medicaid Planning
Many people purchase a life insurance policy as a way to ensure that their dependents are protected upon their passing. Generally speaking, there are two basic types of life insurance policies: term...
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What is Estate Recovery?
Medicaid is a federal health program for individuals with low income and financial resources that is administered by each state. Each state may call this program by a different name. In California,...
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