New procedure in Hennepin County for issuance of formal estate letters

February 5, 2010

Hennepin County announced today that beginning Monday (2/8), the procedure for obtaining estate letters will change for formal probates. Previously, the estate letters (Letters Testamentary or Letters of General Administration) issued from the “Estate Desk” (i.e. the staff behind the counter). Now, the Letters will issue from the Registrars.
According to the notice issued from Alonna [...]

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Now easier to read on the iPhone

January 28, 2010

{For iPhone users}
Those of you who read this blog on your iPhone will find it easier to navigate with the recent addition of a plugin that enables an iPhone-friendly theme for faster loading and better content presentation. You also have the option of viewing the website normally, just as everyone else does.
If you are an [...]

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Hennepin County Registrars release updated guide to informal probate

January 27, 2010

The Hennepin County Probate Registrars recently released an updated guide to informal probates. The guide contains helpful information when preparing an informal probate, including customs unique to Hennepin County. I frequently used the old guide when preparing probates.
Overall, there isn’t much new compared to the old version. But if you practice in Hennepin County, you’ll [...]

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Helpful blog posts on estate tax law changes for 2010

January 11, 2010

Joel A. Schoenmeyer, a Chicago-area attorney, is publishing a series of excellent blog posts regarding implications of the estate tax law changes on his Death and Taxes Blog. These posts are helpful primers for understanding what is going on this year.
The series is entitled, “5 Things You Need to Know About the Estate Tax in [...]

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No federal estate taxes in 2010 (for now)

January 1, 2010

Almost no one thought it would ever happen when 2009 began, but, as scheduled, the federal estate tax has been repealed beginning today (1/1/2010). Essentially the exclusion amount is now unlimited and the tax rate is 0%. As a result, those dying in 2010 may transfer at death an unlimited amount of property tax free.
Keep [...]

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Minnesota’s new disclaimer law goes into effect today

January 1, 2010

Minnesota’s new disclaimer laws go into effect today (1/1/2010). Under the new laws, compliance with the disclaimer requirements was made significantly easier. Three highlights of the new laws include:

The disclaimer under most circumstances does not need to be filed with a court.
The nonprobate and probate disclaimer statutes have been merged into one statutory section.
For Minnesota [...]

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Taking a hiatus for the Holidays

December 22, 2009

I’m taking a break from blogging for the Holidays. I’ve got a long list of blog posts that I can’t wait to share with you. In the meantime, if you haven’t already become an email or RSS feed subscriber, consider doing so now so that you can receive updates automatically. You can find subscription buttons [...]

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Find medical assistance contacts easily

November 9, 2009

Trying to find the right contact information for a county’s medical assistance department used to be a pain. There was no unified directory that was available to attorneys, which caused attorneys to waste a lot of time trying to obtain clearance certificates or to reach the county regarding medical assistance claims.
The MSBA has recently made [...]

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Sample slides for an estate planning presentation

November 6, 2009

I recently gave a presentation at Bethlehem Baptist Church on estate planning issues for seniors. The slideshare presentation linked below is a version of the slides I created and used. I’m providing them here in case someone finds it helpful in creating their own estate planning presentation.
As you can see by flipping through the slides, [...]

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Schedule your Hennepin County Probate Registrar appointment in the suburbs

November 2, 2009

If you are opening an informal probate in Hennepin County, save time and avoid the hassle and expense of parking by meeting one of the Probate Registrars in the suburbs rather than downtown.
About every other week, Ms. Peterson travels to Brookdale for part of a day. I believe she does the same thing for Ridgedale. [...]

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