If you are a parent of a high school student who will be going off to college soon, or you are starting college yourself, there’s a good chance you’re thinking about applying for financial aid. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 66% of all undergraduates received some form of financial aid in 2007—08. […]
What happens when one dies without a Health Care Directive and has specific wishes regarding the disposition of his or her body? What happens when a dispute occurs amongst remaining loved ones who have differing opinions about the disposition of the deceased’s body? These are important questions to examine when considering whether or not to […]
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” – Unofficial creed of the United States Postal Service Each and every time I’m called-upon to settle an estate, one of my first tasks is to change the decedent’s mailing address. I do this – […]
The question of what happens to a person’s digital property after death is a hot topic these days. Many online service providers are currently grappling with this issue, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and the list goes on.
Statutory Presumptions Minnesota statutes provide a set of default interpretations for some of the language used in Minnesota wills.1 Unless a will includes language to the contrary, these statutes provide interpretations for things such as what property can be passed via will, what happens when a beneficiary dies before the testator, how and when gifts might […]
One goal of estate planning is to plan for the unforeseen. To do this, in most estate planning documents, a successor is typically named for each primary role. That way, if the primary person(s) that have been nominated in a given role become unavailable or unwilling to act in the role assigned, the successor can […]
I field this question every day. My response is always the same, it depends. So, when should someone consider a Trust-based estate plan*? Well, here are a few things to consider: Do you own property in another state? If so, a trust may be a good way to prevent the need for multiple probate proceedings. […]
We know it can be frustrating when you contact an attorney for the first time and you just have a quick legal question that you think can, and should, be answered rather easily. The attorney then replies, “We need to schedule an for you to come in to discuss the matter.” You really want to […]
Many of us come across the thought of organ donation for the first time when we apply for a driver’s license. Usually at that young age, it is a topic difficult to consider and oftentimes disregarded. As we age we begin to consider the opportunity each one of us has to save another’s life with […]
Governor Dayton recently proposed a budget that, among other things, may broaden the “snow bird” tax base. While those affected by the proposed legislation are most likely wealthy people who have second homes in warmer climates, the law would affect any individual who owns Minnesota real estate and spends more than 60 days in Minnesota […]
Anytime you are looking to hire a professional advisor (which for purposes of this article shall include, but is not limited to, a financial advisor, attorney, insurance agent, banker and/or accountant), you should do some preliminary homework to determine the type of person with whom you would like to work and prepare some questions to […]