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.
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...
Small businesses are the backbone of this country. They employ more than half of the domestic workforce and contribute greatly to the economy. 9 out of every 10 small businesses are family-owned. But most of those do not make it past the third generation of family ownership. Many small business owners neglect to do one thing to ensure their business...
Minnesota estate planning lawyers are often asked by their clients to explain what comprises a basic estate plan. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this question because an estate plan all depends on the situation and the needs of the individual. For instance, a basic estate plan for one person might include a Revocable Living Trust, while for...
Picture this – you get an opportunity to spend some alone time with your spouse. What do you do to prepare for date night? You carefully select a babysitter. Then, you write detailed instructions; when to feed the baby, how often to change diapers, what snacks are allowed…and you leave a myriad of contact information including your cell phone numbers, the...
If you're concerned that you or a loved one could become seriously ill or even worse due to the novel coronavirus, you're not alone. As medical experts predict a more violent return of the virus in the fall or that new spikes could occur in states as social distancing is gradually relaxed, it’s important to be prepared for every possible scenario. Keep in...
Do single people need to worry about wills, trusts, and estate planning? Yes! Really, “yes” is the only answer that’s needed, but I will take a moment to offer some insight as to why single people need to worry about estate planning. When there is no plan First, it is important to understand what happens if there is no plan. If you fail to plan the laws...
Families who have members with special needs have a variety of unique concerns. Whether you’re traveling to occupational therapy appointments, choosing the most effective medical devices, or contemplating whether to “mainstream” your special needs child, there are so many parts and pieces to keep in mind. For that very reason, you may not have even...
One of the most important jobs of a Minnesota estate planning attorney is to help parents choose the right guardian for their children. This is the person (or people) designated by you to care for your minor children if you should die before they become adults. Working with an estate attorney to choose a guardian gives you a say in the process,...
When it’s time to start your estate planning process (that time is right now, by the way), entrepreneurs need to remember to take their small businesses into consideration. Whether you own the entire business outright and work for yourself or you simply own a portion of the entity, you will need to leave instructions for your family to follow. By...
We’ve pretty much all heard about “bucket lists,” but that term can take on a little bit of a different meaning when you’re a Minnesota estate planning lawyer. We deal with the reality every day that life is fleeting, and it’s our goal to help clients to maximize what they are able to leave behind. For that reason, here are some items that we...
What used to be called the “executor” of the estate is now known as the “personal representative.” The Personal Representative has a very big job of finishing up the decedent’s business, such as taking care of taxes and keeping the bills paid; not to mention the much more commonly recognized job of making sure the decedent’s wishes are followed when it...