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 […]
What You Need to Know About Getting Unemployment Benefits There’s no use trying to pretend that it didn’t happen now. As we discussed in my last entry, finding out that you’ve been let go from your job is a shock to the system, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to sit around and mope […]
This post is mainly intended for Minnesota probate attorneys, however, we hope that all readers learn from it. – See more at: https://epilawg.com/2013/12/minnesota-e-filing-how-to-survive/#sthash.I3444Vxo.dpuf Epilawg editors note: This post is mainly intended for Minnesota probate attorneys, however, we hope that all readers can learn from it. If you believe that the only recourse available with respect […]
We talk often about the use of gifting as an estate planning tool but always caution that individuals should consult with an attorney and/or an accountant before doing so to ensure it is done properly. It is particularly important to consult with an attorney or an accountant when a married couple wishes to make a […]
When a couple determines that it is time to end their marriage, what should be the easiest part of the divorce process can, and often does, turn into one of the most contentious: the division of marital assets and property. Parties will often spend thousands of dollars on attorney fees arguing over personal property ranging […]
I recently read this article about a so-called “living-trust mill” that is being sued by the Minnesota Attorney General. According to the article, the Minnesota Attorney General is alleging that clients of Heritage Partners were sold “boilerplate documents” assembled by a gentleman in Arizona who is not licensed to practice law in Minnesota and paid a […]
It’s been a long afternoon and an even longer week. You’re sitting at your desk on Friday afternoon trying to get those last few things on your To-Do list crossed off before 5pm so you can go into the weekend without having anything hanging over your head. The sun is shining outside. You might even […]
Here are some recent reports of estate planning battles, mistakes and funerals… Martin Luther King Jr.’s children are fighting over Mr. King’s Bible and Noble Peace Price. The children have been battling each other often since their mother, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006. One of the contributing factors to the family disputes is the […]
We try to encourage people to not only plan for the transfer of their personal assets but also to plan for the transfer of their businesses – either in life or at death. Buy-Sell Agreements are beneficial documents when drafting a succession plan for a business. It is however important to ensure that the buy-sell […]
Gifts of real estate to religious bodies are rare, but frequently the donee is mis-identified. Many churches are known by abbreviated versions of their full name, e.g., “St. Jude’s Catholic Church” is actually “The Church of Saint Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi, Minnesota.” Many times the beneficiary is unaware of an intended gift, and has […]
Some estates may now be able to obtain an automatic extension of time to make the election to claim the estate tax portability exclusion. The IRS announced a procedure under which estates of decedents dying before January 1, 2014, that fall below the dollar threshold for having to file an estate tax return, yet want to elect […]