It’s Only a Matter of Life and Death
Everyone needs an estate plan, period. Yet there are so many people out there without one, possibly even you. My three favorite excuses for why people don't have an estate plan are (1) Everything will...
View ArticleAll In the Family: Keeping Your Cottage in the Family and Keeping the Family...
Many of you likely spent our Nation's birthday with your family and/or friends at a cottage (or "cabin" if you're from Minnesota like myself). If the cottage belongs to you, or to your grandparents,...
View ArticleWhat About the Kids? Choosing a Guardian and Conservator for Minor or...
Choosing a guardian and conservator for your minor or dependent child, whether you currently have children or not, will likely be one of the most difficult decisions you will make in completing your...
View ArticleDon’t Forget Fido: Taking Care of Your Pet in an Estate Plan
Most people have heard the stories about the millionaire leaving her dog a trust fund of $12 million, or the woman in Florida who left her pets a $3 million trust and a mansion worth over $8 million,...
View ArticleTailored Living Wills
When I was a paralegal in Colorado, the firm I worked for created a very specific medical health care directive that stated what each person wanted as far as end of life decisions, and if or how long...
View ArticleLife Goes On…Online
I recently read an article by Naomi Cahn, titled "Postmortem Life On-line," in the July/August 2011 publication of "Probate & Practice" by the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the...
View ArticleProperly Funding Your Trust - One More Reason to Call Your Estate Planning...
You can spend the time and money to create a trust that says everything you want it to say and that distributes all your assets in the way you want them distributed, but if you do not properly...
View ArticleHow to Hire An Attorney
So - you want to talk to an attorney because you have a legal issue ... or you think you have a legal issue, but aren't sure. Recently a friend expressed to me that it can be very intimidating to...
View ArticleWho Speaks for You When You are Unable - Designating a Patient Advocate
As an attorney in the Estate Planning group, my job requires me to think about the "worst case scenario" from all angles. For example, what happens if you are injured to the point of being unable to...
View ArticleWhen You Should Revise Your Estate Plan
You did your estate plan: You worked out who will make your medical decisions, who gets your stuff, and who will take care of your kids and/or pet if you and your significant other are unable to – you...
View ArticleKeeping the Family Farm in the Family
Like many Midwesterners, I grew up working on a farm. I lived just across the road and about a city block North of my grandparents' dairy farm in rural Minnesota and I grew up helping them on the...
View ArticlePlanning Ahead to the End – Pre-planning Your Funeral
It may seem morbid, and it is not something most of us like to think about, but planning your funeral while you are healthy and in a semi-emotionally neutral state is beneficial to you and your family...
View ArticleCharitable Giving: ‘Tis the season…to call your estate planner
Around this time of year many people are thinking of gifts they are going to give to their friends and family. However, many people also think about those less fortunate than themselves and give to...
View ArticleBe Organized Now, Save Your Family Time and Money Later
I have assisted in the distribution and administration of more than one trust and estate, and I speak from experience – the process is much easier on the family and takes considerably less time if the...
View ArticleMake Estate Planning Your 2012 New Year’s Resolution
I know what you're probably thinking - getting your estate planning done as part of your New Year's resolution doesn't sound like any fun, and it's not exactly something you can show off like dropping...
View ArticleMichigan Retired Residents: Are your estate planning documents compatible...
Attention snowbirds! Are you covered when you fly South for the Winter? Many Michigan residents are lucky enough to spend the winter in sunny Florida. If you are one these snowbirds, do you have a...
View ArticlePrenuptial agreements are romantic…Really!
Okay, I realize that a prenuptial agreement is not romantic in the traditional sense, but going into a marriage or civil union with the knowledge that you are committing to your significant other...
View ArticleAlternatives for Financing Education Through Gifting: Outright Gifts and...
Most planning with young families will eventually include discussions about saving for college. With college costs climbing, parents have to save more aggressively than ever, taking advantage of every...
View ArticleAlternatives for Financing Education: Section 2503(c) Trusts and Crummey Trusts
In our previous edition of alternatives for financing education, we discussed outright gifts as well as Section 2503(e) gifts. In this edition, we'll talk about Section 2503(c) Trusts and Crummey...
View ArticleAlternatives for Financing Education Through Gifting: State Sponsored College...
In this third and final installment in our series discussing some solutions in the college savings challenge, we'll discuss state-sponsored college plans. State-Sponsored College-Savings Plans (or...
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