With our instructors’ over 50 years of practice with Minnesotans planning for and reaching their retirement years, we have learned time and time again that whether you are in your 40s, 50s, or 60s there are several milestones and overlooked life areas where mistakes can lead to results that range from discomfort to disaster. Let’s identify those issues for you in a comfortable learning session full of real-life examples and opportunities to get questions and issues answered.

This is a relaxed and friendly open-forum seminar for participants with a seasoned will & trust attorney. Questions like: Should I avoid probate? Is a will good enough? Do I need a trust? How does my plan deal with the nursing home? How do we gift the assets of husband and wife? What about separate assets not of the marriage? If I am alone, what tools protect me best? How do I decide who should serve in my estate plan? What is the death tax? How do I avoid leaving a mess for my children? Which trust is best for my needs? Can I use a transfer-on-death deed? How do my retirement assets operate in my will or trust? All questions will be answered!

A vital part of every retirement or resettlement discussion involves the roadmap of issues that help us decide where we want to call home! Is it taxes, the political landscape, the weather, the location of family assets, debt or income concerns in retirement, cost of living, health concerns or . . . our friends are already there! When should we start this discussion? Did you know many states do not tax social security, pensions or other qualified retirement Income sources? Which are the worst states for estate taxes? How do we establish domicile? How about quality of medical resources and retirement facilities – who is good, who is not-so-good? All these issues will be raised and discussed in an open and friendly manner with questions encouraged.

The trust is a very popular component and tool to be used in estate planning. However, there is a variety of vastly different trust options to be used and the question arises: “Am I using the right trust for my needs and goals?” Often used trusts include: living trusts, testamentary trusts and irrevocable trusts; each serves a different purpose, each has a different result. One common problem that often needs addressing is the over-utilization of the living trust for goals or problems that it does not resolve. For example, “Does my living trust protect my assets against Medicaid and the nursing home?” The answer is probably not. The irrevocable trust and the testamentary trust each have their strengths and weaknesses as well. We will clearly define the strengths and weaknesses of these different types of trusts and when to use them. Explore your goals and wishes to see where they fall in the realm of trusts. Class encourages questions and we hope to provide answers that will set your mind at ease or assist you in the decision making in this area.