Estate planning, elder law, family transitions, business planning – the legal issues that affect your family are always evolving. Jennifer writes regularly to keep you informed, educated, and empowered. Browse the latest articles below, or search by topic to find what you’re looking for.
If you’ve ever lost a loved one, chances are you’ve had a few run-ins with the probate court. The goal of the probate process is to help the family of the deceased administer their estate and close out their final affairs after death. If he or she has a will, probate is a time when the courts check to ensure it is valid so that property can be distributed...
If you have suffered the loss of your life partner, my heart goes out to you: few things in this world are quite as devastating. As a Minnesota probate lawyer, I know grief can debilitate, and the ‘to-do’ list in the immediate aftermath can seem impossible to manage. Please understand: you need to give yourself a recovery period after the passing of...
When done properly, an estate plan affords peace of mind to those creating it and leaves behind a legacy for their descendants. But, sometimes estate planning can go awry – and it’s usually due to eccentricities held by either the creators of the estate plan, the beneficiaries, or both. To give a good idea of how such planning can go wrong, our Minnesota...
If you are serving as the Personal Representative or executor of someone’s will, one of the most important tasks you will need to do is to complete an inventory of the decedent’s estate. This could feel like an overwhelming process, especially if the deceased person had a lot of assets. However, knowing more about the process you are about to embark on can...
Losing a loved one is an emotional and life-changing experience. You might be tasked with the responsibility of settling the estate while also grieving your loss. It can be a challenging time in anyone's life. However, it becomes complicated when you must go through probate for out-of-state property. Many people move to various states throughout their...
Most individuals are unfamiliar with the term "probate" until a loved one dies. At that point, they might be shocked to learn that they'll have to contact the local courts to begin the process of closing out their loved one's estate. This process can be daunting, especially if you're unfamiliar with probate law. It may also come as a surprise to family...
One of the main benefits of estate and trust planning is the avoidance of probate proceedings. But what does that mean? And why should you want to avoid probate in the first place? The main reason to avoid probate in Minnesota is simply that it’s a long, public, and costly process that could have you or your loved ones tied up in the courts for months or...
Even those who don’t fully understand the probate process are pretty clear about the fact that they want to avoid it. As a Central Minnesota probate lawyer, I see so many cases where probate could have been shortened or avoided altogether if only people had more information. Probate is a legal process that takes place when an individual dies. If he or she...
One of the most common questions asked when it comes to settling an estate in Minnesota is, “How long is this going to take?” The answer to that question is, of course, going to vary depending upon several factors. In some situations, Minnesota probate may just take several weeks or a few months; in others, it could take well over a year. Due to the...
You’ve most likely seen articles and news segments about cryptocurrency. The most popular form is Bitcoin, but there are several others on the horizon. What is cryptocurrency? For the uninitiated, cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security, making it difficult to counterfeit. Cryptocurrencies are not issued by any...
What really happens if you don’t create a will, trust, or other estate planning documents and essentially keep your head in the sand? Any Monticello estate attorney will tell you, the honest truth is that you make things much harder, more costly, and more time-consuming for your loved ones if something happens to you. You might lose flexibility and lose...
When done properly, an estate plan affords peace of mind to those creating it and leaves behind a legacy for their loved ones. But, sometimes estate planning can go awry – and it’s usually due to eccentricities held by either the creators of the estate plan, the beneficiaries, or both. To give a good idea of how such planning can go wrong, our Minnesota...