How to Help Your Loved Ones (and Your Life Savings) Avoid Probate Today, many people use a revocable living trust instead of a will, joint ownership, or beneficiary designation as the foundation of their estate plan. When properly prepared, a trust a… Read More

Nosy Neighbor Nellie Can Find Out About Your Probate Most people think of probate (the process of collecting, managing, and distributing a deceased person’s money and property) as a private process. However, because probate involves the court syste… Read More

The #1 Risk No Farmer Expects in Succession Planning When most families think about succession planning for the farm, they focus on the obvious: taxes, land values, debt, and the details of ownership. But there’s another risk that often goes overlo… Read More

Help! This Probate Is Taking Forever! After a loved one dies, their money and property that goes through probate must be distributed to the people legally entitled to it, either according to a last will and testament (also called a will) or the state… Read More

How Often Should You Update Your Farm Estate Plan? You’ve taken the important step of creating a farm estate plan. You’ve identified who will carry on the operation, made decisions about how assets will be passed on, and set the groundwork for yo… Read More

When “Joint” Isn’t Joint Enough—Property Titles & Ownership Surprises Introduction You might think owning something “together” means exactly that—you and your spouse, sibling, or business partner share equal ownership and contro… Read More

Part 2: When “Ours” Isn’t Legally Yours—Bank Accounts & Co-Ownership Confusion Introduction When a loved one dies, grief is hard enough. But for many Minnesota spouses and family members, that grief is compounded by an unexpected—and of… Read More

In this 3-part series, we will explore what happens when you think you own something, but it turns out you don’t. Part 1: You Call It Home—But Do You Legally Own It? You’ve lived in the house for years. You’ve paid the taxes, repaired the… Read More