When planning out your estate, you may find a will isn’t enough to help secure and distribute your assets. Assets in a will, after all, have to go through the probate process and may include estate taxes. Instead, you’ve considered creating a trust. Yet, there isn’t...
Estate Planning And Probate
Who should be the guardian of your children?
One of the aspects of estate planning is keeping your children safe and well-taken care of if you die or are incapacitated before they’re adults. This is done by designating a guardian for them in your estate plans. However, before you begin, you should have an...
How often do children take over the family farm?
Over the years, there has certainly been a tradition where parents raise their children on the farm, the children leave to go to college and then they come back home and run the farm. Reports have claimed that this is more often true for sons than daughters. But the...
Why your choice of executor matters
When making a will, you are probably aware that you need to appoint an executor, otherwise referred to as a personal representative. They will be responsible for administering your estate when you are gone and implementing your last wishes as specified by the will. It...
3 grounds upon which your trust can be contested
Trust is a powerful estate planning tool if you want to avoid probate and safeguard your loved one’s future. However, for a trust to serve its intended purpose, it must be valid. A trust, like any other legal document, can be contested by your dependents, or anyone,...
Why would you give away assets prior to passing away?
One of the main goals of estate planning is simply to decide what happens to your financial assets after you pass away. You want to make sure that your heirs and other beneficiaries know who is supposed to get which assets. However, you have the option to give...
Can you reduce the cost of probate?
When you pass on, your assets will be distributed to your loved ones as per your will. However, if you die without one, then your estate will be distributed according to North Dakota intestacy laws. This formal process of administering the decedent’s estate and...
Is it time to review your estate plan?
There is no specific timeline that you have to follow when deciding if it’s time to review your estate plan, but if it has been several years or you’ve just gone through a major life change, then now may be the time to do so. Your estate plan protects you and the...
What are revocable and irrevocable trusts?
Setting up your estate plan is one of the most important tasks you have as an adult. This involves more than just writing a will. There are several other components that you need to think about when you’re getting ready to create your estate plan. For some people,...
How to avoid the most common estate planning mistakes
Creating an estate plan is the smart and responsible thing to do. It ensures that your heirs and family will know what you want to happen with your assets after you pass. Your estate plan also includes things like the medical power of attorneys and more. Because of...