Beneficiary Designation

Will my heirs get everything?

by Mathew Coyle June 11, 2013 Estate Planning 101

  Aside from taxes, the topic that can typically cause the most confusion is the issue of which assets will pass to your loved ones tax free – and which are subject to estate taxation. [...]

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The handy dandy super easy estate planning checklist

by Maggie Green January 17, 2013 Estate Planning 101

Make this your new year’s resolution.  Or don’t.  Either way, these six things should give you peace of mind that your family and friends will not struggle through the probate process. 1. Make a list of [...]

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Unintended Consequences: Naming a Child as Beneficiary of Life Insurance

by Anna Lima June 6, 2012 Estate Planning 101

If you are one of the millions of parents who own a life insurance policy, you may have your child named individually as a primary or contingent beneficiary if you were to pass away while [...]

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Arresting Motion: Estate Planning for Artists

by Christi Cottrell May 14, 2012 Estate Planning 101

PART IV: HOW? DETERMINING THE TOOLS. “When an artist of talent makes a painting or a sculpture, he is always aware of the potentials and limitations of his materials; the better the artist, the more [...]

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What is probate and do you need to avoid it?

by Carissa Brown May 2, 2012 Estate Planning 101

My clients frequently claim that their number one goal in establishing an estate plan is to “avoid probate.” Upon further discussion, I discover that most have a number of misconceptions regarding what probate actually is. [...]

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Inherited Retirement Accounts Part II: Non-Spouse Beneficiary

by Jen Santini April 27, 2012 Estate Planning 101

We previously discussed the options available to a surviving spouse inheriting a qualified retirement account. This article will address the options available to a non-spouse beneficiary inheriting a qualified retirement account. Just for a brief [...]

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Inherited Retirement Accounts Part I: Spouse Beneficiary

by Jen Santini April 13, 2012 Estate Planning 101

There is often confusion about what to do when a beneficiary inherits a retirement account. The answer is… it depends. There are different factors to determine the best course of action, such as the beneficiary [...]

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Protecting Yourself as Co-signer on Your Child’s Loan

by Lindsey Manhart March 14, 2012 Guest Articles

A few months ago, I wrote about the importance of having life insurance to help provide for your family upon your death. Today I write about life insurance again, but from a different perspective: what [...]

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3 Steps to a Thoughtful Beneficiary Review

by Chris Hiestand February 18, 2012 Estate Planning 101

Make Sure Your Money Goes to the Right Person after You’re Gone There is so much information available about personal finances that you could spend your entire life reading all of it and you would [...]

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U.S. Savings Bonds

by Jayne Sykora October 15, 2011 Investments & Insurance

Personally, I have never been one to purchase U.S. Savings Bonds. Nor have I received any as gifts. However, I have worked with many clients that one way or the other, have many Savings Bonds. [...]

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Estate Planning is Crucial for Same-Sex Couples

by Todd Bagby September 13, 2011 Estate Planning 101

Anyone who attended a Twin Cities Pride event this summer can attest to the vitality of Minnesota’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community. The turnout and support for the GLBT community proved Minneapolis deserving [...]

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