Real estate

Obtaining A Clearance Certificate

by Jayne Sykora March 7, 2013 Probate

In many posts, we have eluded to and discussed the basics on Medical Assistance (see: Jamie Held‘s Medical Assistance & Real Property and Jen Santini‘s Medical Assistance Basics for Minnesotans). Medical Assistance, or Medicaid as [...]

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1 or 2: Joint vs. Separate Revocable Trusts

by Jen Santini January 7, 2013 Trusts

We have written about the benefits of utilizing revocable trusts for incapacity planning, probate avoidance and out-of-state real estate. However, we often get the question from couples, “Why do we need two trusts? Why can’t [...]

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The “Power of Attorney” in Real Life

by Maggie Green September 25, 2012 Estate Planning 101

Some clients know how important the Power of Attorney document is. They may have acted as attorney-in-fact for a spouse or an elderly relative. Or they may have experienced first hand the challenges created when [...]

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Real property in an estate or trust administration

by Maggie Green March 22, 2012 Probate

Personal representatives and trustees are commonly responsible for distributing real property from an estate or trust to its designated beneficiaries. Such distributions present unique challenges for personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries alike.  To this end, [...]

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Arresting Motion: Estate Planning for Artists

by Christi Cottrell February 29, 2012 Estate Planning 101

Part II: Why? Framing the Issue. “Art is a nation’s most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us [...]

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Titling Real Estate

by Jayne Sykora November 28, 2011 Estate Planning 101

When working with clients on their estate plans, one of the most important items to consider and understand is how real estate is titled. First, let’s discuss what “title” means. Title is a legal term [...]

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Medical Assistance & Real Property

by Jamie Held July 31, 2011 Probate

When I ask a probate client if the decedent (or decedent’s predeceased spouse, if any) received medical assistance, I often receive a confused look.  I make this inquiry because if the decedent (or decedent’s predeceased [...]

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Deeds & Probate

by Maggie Green April 19, 2011 Probate

In past articles we have covered the pros and cons of avoiding probate.  As a brief refresher, probate is not always a terrible process but in some cases, it can be long, complicated, and expensive. [...]

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Probate: The Very Basics

by Jamie Held December 1, 2010 Estate Planning 101

Probate is very often misunderstood. This post seeks to provide a basic overview of Probate in Minnesota. What is Probate? Probate is the legal process whereby the decedent’s Will is presented to the court for [...]

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