Inheriting a house is about more than just acquiring a structure; it’s about continuing a legacy and embracing a piece of family history. But how do you ensure this new asset doesn’t turn into a source of stress? With ownership comes the duty to protect it, necessitating a grasp of estate law, property rights, and…
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Choosing Between a Will and a Living Trust: Pros and Cons
Are you considering how to best secure your future and ensure your loved ones are taken care of after you’re gone? You might be wondering whether a will or a living trust is the right choice for your estate planning needs. Each option has its unique advantages and drawbacks, and understanding these can help you…
Continue reading…Is Obergefeld next? The SCOTUS Decision and Same-Sex Marriage Rights
A Minnesota Estate Planning and Adoption Lawyer Warns of Future Supreme Court Decisions The time for complacency is over. In 2015, the US Supreme Court’s upheld same-sex marriage rights in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. After the decision, many gay and lesbian clients told me they no longer needed to use a lawyer to protect…
Continue reading…Young and Ill, without Advance Directives
When you are a child, your parents serve as your decision makers. They have ultimate say in where you go to school, what extracurricular activities you partake in and where, and how, you should be treated in the event of a medical emergency. While most parents continue to play a huge role in their children’s…
Continue reading…Blended Families: Protecting Your Loved Ones in the “New Normal”
Remarried? Protect Your Children With Proper Planning If you are married for the first time and are working on your estate plan, the decisions about where the assets go are usually easy. Most parents in that situation want their entire estate to go to the surviving spouse, and upon the death of the surviving spouse,…
Continue reading…The Probate Process, Part II:The Will
Last week I covered the definition of “probate.” Probate is simply the process in which the court oversees the distribution of your assets as directed by your will (if you have one) and handles claims against assets. This week I will explain how legal wills are “tested” by probate court and how to prevent having…
Continue reading…Life After Death, Part 2: Protecting the Lives of Loved Ones After your Death
In this second part of my two-part blog series, I’d like to talk about the documents I feel are the most necessary to provide your family with the protection it deserves in the event of your death. Pulling Together the Necessary Documents I believe that it goes without saying that everyone should have a will….
Continue reading…Grantor Retained Income Trust: An Option for Unique Families
I’m asked quite often how I feel about the state-by-state recognition of same-sex marriage. On one hand, I’m delighted to see it happening at all, but the attorney in me can’t help but see all of the headaches come tax season. There is no Federal recognition for same sex marriage. That means doing tax returns…
Continue reading…Life After Death Part 1: Protecting the Lives of Loved Ones After your Death
I was doing a little home office cleaning the other day when I happened to notice my “In Case of Emergency Break Glass” file. This is a group of documents that I’ve collected, grouped, and stored away that will provide our unique family with legal legs should the worst (or inevitable) happens. It is important…
Continue reading…What’s in a Name, Part 1: What is a Non-traditional Family?
My website and posts are geared to the so-called “nontraditional family” and nontraditional estate planning. But just what does that mean? I use the term – for lack of anything better – to define any family that does not fall into the 1950s model of a family with one husband and one wife who are…
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