Ingrid Bergman


August 29, 2012
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August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982 Today is one of those rare occasions when it is the anniversary of someone’s death but also the anniversary of their day of birth. It is has been 30 years since Ingrid Bergman passed away on her 67th birthday. Ingrid Bergman was an international film star whose acting […]

Viatical Settlements


August 27, 2012
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The New York Times Magazine recently ran an article on life settlements or viatical settlements. These settlements are the process in which individuals sell their life insurance policies to investors to receive cash now. As the article notes, “Life insurance is designed to benefit the living, a spouse or heirs, not those who perish.” However, […]

2nd Quarter Market Update


August 24, 2012
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I’m going to begin this post with a personal tidbit.  I decided to run my first full marathon a few months ago.  After running five half-marathons in past years, I figured this would be rather simple, double my training and double my time. No problem…I thought. Was I ever wrong!  This was the single most […]

Torrens vs. Abstract Property: What’s the Difference?


August 21, 2012
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I have written many posts about various aspects related to real estate: life estates, titling real estate, and transfer on death deeds, to name a few. What each of these topics has in common, besides having to do with real estate, is that how the real estate is classified will dictate how, by whom and where […]

Don’t wait for the holidays – Gift Now!


August 14, 2012
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Almost every week I receive an email from a tax or financial advisor about how my clients should take advantage of the current gift tax exemption. The exemption of $5.12 million allows an individual to give away just over five million dollars before paying any federal gift tax (side note: MN does not have a […]

Don’t wait for the holidays – Gift Now!


August 14, 2012
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Almost every week I receive an email from a tax or financial advisor about how my clients should take advantage of the current gift tax exemption. The exemption of $5.12 million allows an individual to give away just over five million dollars before paying any federal gift tax (side note: MN does not have a […]

Creditors’ Claims Basics


August 8, 2012
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One of the purposes of probate is to provide notice of the decedent’s death to creditors so that they can seek payment for any unpaid debts. As Jayne Sykora mentioned in her post, What Happens to Debt at Death, personal representatives are able to identify creditors of the estate through the decedent’s mail and bills. […]

Marilyn Monroe


August 5, 2012
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June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962 It has been 50 years since the woman born as Norma Jeane Mortenson (later changed to Baker) passed away. Known as Marilyn Monroe, she died at the young age of 36. A recently published book, The Empty Glass, analyzes the ongoing conspiracy surrounding Monroe’s death.1 Ms. Monroe had […]

QR Codes … for Estate Planning?


August 3, 2012
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QR codes, those squares made of square dots arranged in a pattern that you scan with your smart phone, are popping up everywhere these days.  Consequently, I was not at all surprised when I saw a story on the local CBS evening news … QR Codes On Headstones: Preserving Personalities Of Those Passed.