News & Insights: Trusts & Estates Blog

 

Our News & Insights

RSS Feed

Trusts & Estates Blog RSS Feed

Search News & Insights

Keep Up To Date

For invitations to our events and updates on key legal issues and business concerns:

Please Click Here

Add “Powers of Attorney” to Your College Student’s Back-to-School Checklist

Posted on August 4, 2021 by

If you’re preparing to send a child off to college this fall, you should add two documents to your back-to-school checklist: (1) a power of attorney for health care, and (2) a durable power of attorney for finances.  Without these two documents, you may not have the authority to make health care decisions or manage […]

What is Probate?

Posted on July 29, 2021 by

Attorney Ashley Hawley walks viewers through what’s involved in the probate process in her latest video. Video Transcript: Hi, I’m Ashley Hawley. I’m an attorney at Ruder Ware in the Trust & Estates Department. Let’s talk probate. Probate is the core process of transferring assets out of a deceased individual’s name and into the names […]

Step-By-Step Overview of Probate

Posted on July 22, 2021 by

“Probate” is a legal term for the Court process of transferring assets out of a deceased person’s name and to that person’s heirs and/or beneficiaries.  The difference between the term “heir” and the term “beneficiary” is that an heir is someone who is entitled to receive the assets of a deceased person who died without […]

Plan Ahead to Make Summer Memories at the Family Cabin Last Forever

Posted on June 29, 2021 by

Summertime is a special time of year in Wisconsin. It brings many families to cabins where they make memories and traditions that will last forever. So, how do you make sure that these memory-making summers last for generations?  Attorney Shanna Yonke explain how you can plan for the long-term ownership and management of your cabin […]

Plan Ahead to Make Summer Memories at the Family Cabin Last Forever

Posted on June 16, 2021 by

Summertime is a special time of year in Wisconsin.  It brings many families to cabins where they create memories and traditions that will be cherished forever.  However, many problems arise if families do not create a plan for the future ownership and management of the family cabin.  The cabin may be subject to the claims […]

IRS Releases Publication on RMDs for Inherited Retirement Benefits (and, of course, creates confusion)

Posted on April 19, 2021 by and

Ruder Ware’s Trusts & Estates blog has featured several posts (for example, Call to Action: Review Your Estate Plan in Light of the SECURE Act and Why SECURE Act Matters to You) on the SECURE Act, a federal law effective January 1, 2020,  that made significant changes to the payout provisions of inherited retirement benefits, […]

Proposed Gift and Estate Tax Changes Mean Some May Need to Act Now

Posted on April 9, 2021 by and

In the United States Congress, there is an arduous journey before a bill becomes law.  See the classic School House Rock! video, “I’m Just a Bill.”  But there is a common theme running through some gift and estate tax bills that have been introduced in Congress this year.  That is: an appropriate way to raise […]

Gun Ownership: Who Can I Transfer a Gun to in Wisconsin?

Posted on April 7, 2021 by

There are federal and state laws that may apply when transferring ownership of a gun. These laws apply when gifting or selling a gun during lifetime, or when transferring a gun after the death of the gun owner. Attorney Kayla Murphy answers the question of to whom a gun can be transferred under Wisconsin law in […]

Adult Guardianship 101

Posted on March 17, 2021 by

Our team here at Ruder Ware has focused previous blogs and other educational materials on ways to avoid adult guardianship (see Related Articles section at the end of my post); however, there may be some instances where guardianship is unavoidable.  Earlier this month, I attempted to simplify the guardianship process in my vlog.  This blog […]

Guardianships: What are They? What is the Process? Does it Apply to Me?

Posted on March 4, 2021 by

Attorney Ashley Hawley does her best to simplify the complicated guardianship process in her latest vlog.  If you have questions regarding the estate tax, Ruder Ware’s Estate Planning Team is here to help. Video Transcript: Hello, I’m Ashley Hawley. I am an attorney on Ruder Ware’s Trusts & Estates team. My topic for you for today […]