A last will and testament is the foundation of most estate plans. Many of our clients, when creating a will, wonder just how specific they should be with the provisions. It’s a good question, and one that deserves exploration. On one hand, if you a…
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Having “the talk” with your children isn’t easy, and many parents avoid it as long as possible. That’s why it is important for children to be able to introduce the subject and ask for the information they need, even if doing so feels awkward…
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There’s no question that the internet simplifies life in many ways: instead of driving downtown to the bank to deposit a check, you can just take a picture of it with your cell phone. Instead of flying across the country to meet with colleagues or…
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An estate planning attorney doesn’t expect you to know everything when you walk in the door, and they view an important part of their job as working with you to design the estate plan that’s right for you and your family.
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Owning property in multiple states is more common than you might think. Many people who have a primary residence in Minnesota have an interest in real estate elsewhere. That might be a rental property, a shared family cabin, a “snowbird” condo in…
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If you are looking for advice on how to be an executor of an estate, someone close to you has probably passed away recently. If so, our condolences on your loss. As probate attorneys, we understand how difficult it can be to navigate the unfamiliar p…
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Making an estate plan is essential to your family’s future security and peace of mind. But simply making an estate plan isn’t enough; when the time comes, your family will need to be able to easily locate and access your estate planning documents…
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When the estate of a deceased person (decedent) must go through the Minnesota probate process, family members naturally want to understand how long the process will take. Having to navigate probate is a reminder of your loss. Being able to put probat…
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It wasn’t that long ago that anyone who wanted an estate plan would contact their family lawyer or a trusted local attorney. They had a legal need, so they called a legal professional. “Do it yourself” wasn’t even a consideration. In recent d…
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Nobody likes to imagine a future in which they are not capable of managing their own needs or making their own decisions. But many of us have had to help parents or other family members who were no longer able to care for themselves. Seeing a loved o…
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Most people know that wills and trusts are part of estate planning, and have a general idea of what they are and what they are used for. But there is a lot more confusion around the terms “advance directives,” “advance health care directives,…
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You probably understand that making an estate plan is important to protect your future and your family. Like a lot of people, you may have put off estate planning despite knowing how important it is. After all, life is busy, and there are a lot of th…
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As every new parent knows, welcoming a new child into the family can be a little overwhelming. There’s so much to learn and so much adjusting to do (often on much less sleep than you’re used to!). But in addition to learning to secure car seats a…
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If you’ve spent any time at all reading law blogs, you may have noticed that they often follow a certain format. The blog will ask a question, answer it with “it depends,” and then go on to talk about just what the answer depends on. It’s ref…
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In recent years, an increasing number of people have incorporated trusts into their estate planning. Trusts are a popular estate planning tool in part because they avoid the probate process and give the creator of the trust (called the grantor, settl…
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