An Estate is everything someone owns at the time of death. The process of paying bills and distributing what's left is called Probate. The executor (or personal representative) of an Estate uses the deceased person's assets to pay off the Estate's debts. Debts Paid During the Probate Process The executor might write checks from the deceased [...]
Statistics from the Pew Research Center note that a full 42 percent of all Americans are in a "step" relationship. This means that you or someone you know is very likely one of the 95.5 million people who are part of a blended family. Estate planning for the millions of Americans who are divorced, remarried [...]
Trusts can be used as an asset protection tool and to help your beneficiaries avoid the cost and expense of probate. Trusts transfer legal ownership of assets to a trustee, or manager of your trust assets. You deed your property into the name of your trust and your trustee is tasked with administering it as [...]
Dear Friends, Family, Colleagues, and Clients, We are proud to announce the merger of our two law firms, Rochford & Langins, LLC and Schreiber and Jarstad. Under the new firm name of Rochford Langins Jarstad LLC, our lawyers and staff will be combining their knowledge and talents into one powerful team of advocates. Our offices [...]
Funerals can be expensive! The average cost of a funeral in 2015 was $6,500.00, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. The ever-increasing cost leaves many families wondering: Who is responsible for paying funeral expenses? The answer can vary. For example, the decedent may have already paid for her own funeral by funding a prepaid [...]
A Personal Representative, also known as an Executor, is the person you name in your will that carries out your wishes after you pass away. Your Personal Representative is not required to perform these duties just because you have named him, he must accept the appointment as part of the estate administration process. Discuss the [...]
The probate and trust administration attorneys at Rochford & Langins, LLC will help give you peace of mind when you have lost a loved one. Probate and trust administration can be time consuming, complex and emImage result for probateotionally draining. If you are the personal representative for a probate estate, or named as the trustee [...]
How to Avoid Probate in Minnesota It saddens me when I have to tell a family that just lost a loved one “I’m sorry but you need to go through probate.” Probate can be a long, contentious, frustrating and a VERY expensive process. For these reasons, most people will try to avoid probate in any [...]
