I wrote the book on Minnesota probate.
When you die, the biggest assets that you leave behind can help provide for your family members. Other than retirement savings or a life insurance policy, your primary residence is probably your most expensive asset. Whether you expect your family members to live in...
Will contests sometimes occur when people who stand to inherit an estate, or who have been dropped from an estate plan and will, argue that they should get more than was left to them. To avoid this kind of trouble, one of the things you can do is set up a no-contest...
Michael Jackson’s estate has been involved in a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service for some time. The Internal Revenue Service had used an appraiser for the deceased celebrity’s estate, and the judge on the case made note that the appraiser was not necessarily...
Despite people often using the terms interchangeably, a last will is not the same thing as an estate plan. A last will is a specific document that many people include in their estate plan. An estate plan is a comprehensive plan that includes multiple documents and...
When people do not create a plan for their assets, surviving family members must address estate settlement issues. Interested parties go through a legal process known as probate to resolve problems, such as handling the will, paying the deceased's debts and appraising...
Dealing with the death of a parent can be extremely traumatic. Whether your parent died unexpectedly or due to a long illness, grieving can take a long time, and you may be unable to work or do simple activities for some time. It is important to give yourself the time...
When someone dies, grief is not the only emotion that overtakes the family. Many people will also experience intense greed when they start to consider their loved one's resources. A loss on its own can be a traumatic experience for a family. The death of a close...
Family members are often intimately familiar with the last wishes of their loved ones. You may have talked about their legacy or even been present when they met with an estate and probate attorney. Your loved one may have even had you select certain property to...
Maybe because of the state’s long and harsh winters, Minnesotans are some of the more resilient and resourceful citizens of the U.S. After all, getting through the cold months requires some planning and thought. You can and probably should apply that same resourceful...
Proper estate planning allows for successful estate administration. When someone doesn't think ahead, their executors are left scrambling to determine their wishes and follow them. The more assets that someone has, the more crucial proper estate planning is. Bigger...