A Minnesota Estate Planning Lawyer Explains a Recent Court Decision Affecting the Life Insurance Proceeds for  Divorced Couple A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit should cause anyone who has been divorced scrambling to ensure his or her beneficiaries are property listed on life insurance or retirement accounts. Namely,…

Minneapolis Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Explains How to Protect Your Assets Smart Way #1: Make a promise to yourself — now.  Make a personal commitment to yourself and your family that you will do everything possible to protect your family and your assets. Smart Way #2: Identify your personal and financial goals.  If you…

  A Minneapolis Estate Planning Attorney Discusses the Reason Young People Should Think About Their Estate Plans Imagine if writing a last will and testament were a pre-requisite to graduating from high school.  The graduate walks across the stage, hands the completed will to the principal, and gets the diploma in return.   It might sound…

This continues my series on lessons I learned in handling the estates of my parents who both passed away last year. This post will discuss reasons why you should plan things now – do not wait! I am an estate planning attorney with the knowledge and experience to handle complex issues but found myself running…

Borrowing from your retirement accounts: Issues to consider So you have credit card debt, overdue mortgage payments, or suddenly need to buy a new car. We’ve all been there. You need money now, and your retirement accounts continue to climb. Fortunately, many employers allow you to take out loans on these accounts, but should you…

An Estate Planning Attorney Provides a Personal Review of 2012 The state of the firm For Unique Estate Law 2012 was a fantastic year. The firm beat projections and I was able to assist more clients than ever before. I had referrals from a wide range of sources and a constant stream of clients coming…

Preparing to Meet With an Estate Planning Attorney A thorough and complete estate plan must take into account a significant amount of information about your assets, your family, your property, and your wishes during and after your life.  When you make your first appointment with an estate planning attorney, ask the attorney or the paralegal…

A Minneapolis Estate Planning Attorney Examines the Importance of Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples Estate planning is important for everyone. We simply don’t know when something tragic could happen such as sudden death or an accident that could leave us incapacitated. With proper planning, families who are dealing with the unexpected experience fewer headaches and…

This series of posts examines the unique case brought before the Hennepin County Probate Court in which a same sex spouse sought inheritance rights over $250,000 worth of assets from his deceased spouse’s estate. Recall that Mr. Morrison and Mr. Proehl were legally married during the brief window in California and later returned to Minnesota – a…

A Minneapolis Lawyer Discusses the Recent Hennepin County Probate Decision on Inheritance Rights for Same Sex Couples As a lawyer who specializes in the field of non-traditional families, I have to admit that this is an outcome that I would never have predicted. Two of my prior posts discussed the inheritance issue facing James Morrison…