Why Beneficiary Designations Matter More Than Your Will in Farm Estate Planning Beneficiary designations often control more assets than your will or trust. Life insurance, retirement accounts, bank accounts, and transfer-on-death deeds pass by benefi…
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Why Online Wills and AI Estate Planning are Easy to Mess Up Why “Simple” Estate Plans Fail More Often Than People Realize Here is one mistake we see: estate planning is sometimes marketed as something you can “do yourself” in an afternoon. On…
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Our Attorneys: Practical Estate Planning & Farm Law for Minnesota Families The attorneys at Wagner Oehler, Ltd. focus on estate planning, farm succession planning, probate avoidance, and trust administration for Minnesota families and farm owners…
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Using a Contract for Deed to Transfer the Family Farm to the Next Generation If you’ve been thinking about selling your farm to your farming heir on a contract for deed, you’re not alone. We see this strategy used every day by family farmers who…
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Your Probate Records Are Public in Minnesota — And They’re Online Yes, probate records in Minnesota are public and available online. If your estate goes through probate, details about your assets, heirs, and distributions can be accessed by anyon…
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Estate Planning & Probate FAQs for Minnesota Families and Farm Owners This FAQ explains the most common estate planning, probate, and farm succession questions Minnesota families ask. The answers reflect practical, real-world planning considerati…
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Estate Planning Isn’t About a Will — It’s About Responsibility Most people think estate planning starts and ends with a will. Often, it’s a cheap one — a $100 will or a $300–$500 “estate plan” — and the assumption is that a single d…
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Why Minnesota Farmers Still End Up in Probate Even With a Trust One of the most frustrating questions we hear from Minnesota farmers is this: “We had a trust. Why did the farm still end up in probate?” The answer is not necessarily that the trust…
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Why An Incomplete Power of Attorney Can Shut Down a Minnesota Farm Overnight Most Minnesota farmers have a power of attorney in place. The problem? Many of those powers of attorney are incomplete, and families don’t find out until it’s too late.…
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The #1 Estate Planning Mistake That Breaks Minnesota Farm Succession Plans Most Minnesota farmers believe that once they’ve signed a will or trust, their estate plan is finished. Unfortunately, that assumption is exactly why so many farm succession…
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