For some, as they prepare their Wills, it is a pretty clear cut decision on who will receive what and how much. For example, most married couples with children will first leave everything to each other, then when both spouses are gone, their estate will be divided equally among their children (do keep in mind […]
I often hear in conversation (and I once believed this too!) that if a minor child has godparents, then the same people will be legal guardians of the child if something happens to the child’s parents. This is not true. Godparents and guardians are two different roles and are appointed in different ways. Godparents A […]
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 […]
On June 12, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a divisive bankruptcy and estate planning case. At issue was whether an individual retirement account (“IRA”) that a debtor inherited was exempt from the debtor’s bankruptcy estate under the Bankruptcy Code. The Bankruptcy Code permits a debtor to protect assets that are in a “retirement […]
When we assist clients with drafting their estate plans, we try to draft a plan that will grow and evolve with them overtime. However, this does not mean that clients should stick their plans into a drawer and forget about them – never to review the plan again before they pass away. Instead, clients should […]
Earlier this year, the law making body in Belgium passed a law removing the age restriction on the country’s euthanasia law. Belgium has allowed euthanasia since 2002.
When drafting real estate deeds (even though the Minnesota Uniform Conveyancing Blanks forms look relatively simple) there are several statutory-specific rules that inevitably lead to the return of your deed with a “rejection letter” from the county recorder. Here are some of the common mistakes made when drafting real estate deeds: Marital Status Omitted You […]
During the four years or so that Epilawg has been in existence, there have been countless posts about the guiding principle behind the purpose of this blog: figuring out how to best write your own epilogue; planning the resolution to your own story. Over the years, various angles on Epilawg’s main topics have been presented; […]
I spent the Memorial Day weekend out of town for a wedding and was joking with some of the other guests that the bride (who is my stepsister) will most likely hire someone to assist her in changing her name upon her return from her honeymoon. I am one who opted to not change my […]
While there are plenty of other myths I could include in this post, one overarching theme seems to be prevalent throughout: uniqueness. While it may seem like a given estate planning situation is vanilla, working to achieve your specific goals and planning for the various anomalies present in your life is the only way to […]
I have recommended Deborah Jacob’s in the past, but Advice for New Mothers – and Procrastinators is spot on. Covering all of the important estate planning issues for young parents, her advice mimics many of the suggestions I give to clients who have minor children. She provides an option for parents who cannot decide on a guardian, links to the Mummy Manual (an example of […]