Robin Williams’ Estate: Subject to California Probate?


August 19, 2014
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As everyone mourns the death of Robin Williams and reflects on his tremendous talents, we estate planning attorneys can’t help but wonder, did Robin Williams do any estate planning? It is apparent that Robin Williams had a very successful career. What is unclear is the true value of his estate. Some reports indicate that Robin […]

Estate Planning Myth #4: Anyone can write a simple will


April 16, 2014
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This is somewhat correct: I clearly remember reading anomalous cases in law school about concepts like Holographic Wills and whether something as simple as “I leave everything to my wife” is a Will. A gentle reminder: I was reading these stories in a case book, which means these were matters that wound up being litigated. […]

Organizing Your Accounts and Passwords


March 5, 2014
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I emphasize to all of my estate planning clients the importance of keeping track of your assets, what they are, where they are located, etc. The reason: a Will or Trust instructs your Personal Representative or Trustee on how you want your assets to be distributed after your death, but not always what those assets […]

Forced Heirship


January 29, 2014
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Not surprisingly, since most of us here at Epilawg are licensed to practice law only in Minnesota, we generally write about most topics from a Minnesota law point of view. Oftentimes, though, many laws having to do with estate planning tend to be similar among the states, with deviations here and there, which is why […]

Another Estate Planning Lesson from Downton Abbey


January 8, 2014
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We’re big fans of Downton Abbey (as is the rest of the world). Previously, we have covered the inheritance lessons learned during the first season of Downtown Abbey. This past Sunday evening, Season 4 premiered on PBS. The framework of the episode centered around an estate planning issue: what makes for a valid Will? I […]

ESTATE PLANNING FOR YOUNG ADULTS…REALLY?


November 27, 2013
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If you have a young adult child coming home for the holidays, the Thanksgiving table might serve as a good opportunity to talk with them about estate planning.   While most young adults do not own property or have children that may necessitate a Will, two major estate planning documents are often overlooked by young people […]

Disclaimer Planning for Non-Tax Purposes


November 20, 2013
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Jamie Held previously discussed how disclaimer planning can be useful in incorporating flexibility in uncertain tax situations, and Jen Santini discussed how to properly disclaim a bequest under MN and federal law. This post focuses on a different aspect: how disclaimer planning can be useful for non-tax purposes. Disclaimers in General To review, disclaimers can […]

Estate Planning Tips for the Sandwich Generation


November 12, 2013
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While long proven to be a delectable meal, a sandwich as applied to the “sandwich generation” is significantly less appealing. For many of us, we are facing a time where our parents and our children need us simultaneously – and frequently this is occurring during a period in our professional lives when our employers’ and […]

Your Assets Matter


October 15, 2013
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A while back I introduced the topic of Revocable Trust versus a Will.  This post explores the first consideration in making this decision … what type of assets do you own, how are they owned and how do you feel about probate.

Special Gifts


September 6, 2013
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Oftentimes testators will choose to leave a specific piece of property, known as a specific gift, to a devisee in a Will. Or, in other instances, testators will choose to leave a specific dollar amount to a devisee in their Will, a pecuniary gift. Both of these gifts are considered special gifts. Property Gifts In […]