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Happy New Year! Pass the Champagne AND a Joint—Illinois Legalizes Marijuana Effective 1/1/2020

Posted on December 30, 2019 by

Here in Wisconsin marijuana is still illegal.  However, this week our neighbor Illinois becomes the 11th in our nation to legalize marijuana which may cause complications for Wisconsin employers who recruit or have locations in that state.  Our neighbor Minnesota has had marijuana legal for medicinal purposes since 2014 (recreational use is not yet legal […]

Upcoming Travel Plans? How to Temporarily Delegate Parental Authority

Posted on December 19, 2019 by

Picture this: you are lying on the beach in sunny Aruba, thinking about your best friend, Kristin, who valiantly volunteered to watch your three children while you and your spouse got away from the Wisconsin winter for the first time in ages – when all of a sudden you see a hotel staff member racing […]

The DOL Issues Final Rule to Update Regular Rate Regs!!

Posted on December 18, 2019 by

Late last week the Department of Labor announced a Final Rule that will allow employers to more easily offer bonuses and benefits without worrying about the regular rate of pay. The rule is the first major change to the regulations governing regular rate requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in over 50 years. […]

House Passes Farm Workforce Bill

Posted on December 12, 2019 by

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, easing immigration for agricultural workers. The bill would give “blue cards” to agricultural workers who have worked at least 180 days on farms over the past two years. They would become eligible for five-year renewable visas that would require working at least 100 […]

Don’t Get Fenced In

Posted on November 17, 2019 by

No matter how much credence the old saying “good fences make good neighbors” may hold, Chapter 90 of the Wisconsin Statutes exists to prescribe general rules regarding fences in agricultural areas of Wisconsin.  These laws lay out when a fence is required, what a legal fence is, who is responsible for the fence and how […]

My spouse is on Medicaid, now what?

Posted on November 14, 2019 by

It is common for a client whose spouse is receiving Medicaid to lack adequate estate planning to protect those Medicaid benefits in the event the client dies before their spouse. Yet, after all of the time and energy spent to qualify for Medicaid, it would be awful to see those benefits lost simply because proper […]

Estate Planning for Family Farms: What to do with the Land

Posted on November 11, 2019 by

While most businesses use real estate, unique planning issues arise for family-farm owners because of the importance of real estate to the farm and family. There are several reasons for that. Family farms are not as mobile as other businesses. Family-farm owners usually have strong emotional attachments to the land. They treat the land they […]

2020 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2020 Social Security Taxable Wage Base

Posted on November 6, 2019 by

On November 6, 2019 the Internal Revenue Service announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits. All of the limits shown below have increased from last year.   Qualified Plan Limit Cost-of-Living Adjustments 401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit 2019-$19,000 2020-$19,500 $200,000 compensation limit 2019-$280,000 2020-$285,000 $160,000 defined benefit limit 2019-$225,000 2020-$230,000 […]

Sara Ackermann Presentation at Mfg First Expo

Posted on October 22, 2019 by

My practice is dedicated to helping business owners and HR professionals work through some pretty sticky employment issues.  Although there is not much I have not seen, employee behavior never ceases to amaze me.  With the evolution of marijuana and CBD legalization, it is going to get even more interesting.  For the latest information on […]

Create Your Digital Estate Plan

Posted on October 9, 2019 by

It seems like our world becomes more digital each day.  We can manage almost every aspect of our lives online.  But, unless you have updated your estate plan in the last few years, chances are good that your estate planning documents do not address what will happen to your electronic documents, e-mails, text messages, blogs, […]