St. Cloud, MN Estate Planning Attorneys

St. Cloud Estate Planning Lawyers Helping Clients Plan for the Future

Is there anything more important to you than planning for your family’s future, especially when you are no longer around? You’ve busted your back working hard so you could provide for them, and you’d do it again. Why wouldn’t you want to put a plan in place that ensures as much of your hard work as possible goes to your loved ones?

This plan can also benefit you throughout your life. If you have high-value assets, such as a vacation home on Big Birch Lake or a successful business, you may want to protect them from potential loss. Or, you can learn how an advance directive and durable power of attorney can be used to guide your family during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Sandahl & Damhof has experienced St. Cloud estate planning lawyers who can help you on this difficult journey.

Why Does Local Experience Matter?

Minnesota law has specific statutes regarding probate, estate taxes, and property rights that many generic online forms often overlook, meaning all of your planning could go down the drain when your family starts dealing with probate. Even worse, if your family doesn’t know exactly what you want and your estate planning is considered invalid, it could lead to litigation that makes family members feel more like enemies.

Our law firm offers the warmth and guidance that central Minnesotans have come to expect. We are structured from the ground up with Minnesota families in mind. Representation is important, and you just don’t get that when you try to take certain shortcuts during the estate planning process.

What Is the Difference Between a Will and a Trust?

Many people create their will, thinking that it’s more than enough. They scribble their wishes on a piece of notebook paper and tuck it away, unaware they are creating a lot of heartache and stress for their family.

Creating a valid will should only be the first step in your estate planning journey. This document allows you to define your wishes and ensures your assets are distributed to the right heirs. A will is also the only place where you can legally designate an appointment for guardianship of your minor children. But wills do have one major shortcoming; they still require your family to deal with probate court.

And many people are uncomfortable when they learn that probate proceedings are public.

If you want to minimize probate, protect your assets, and lessen estate taxes for your family, you will need to implement a well-planned trust. A trust allows you to manage and protect your property both during your life and after you are gone. It also allows you to designate a trustee, someone you trust to manage your trust. Trusts also give your family more privacy during the probate process because assets held by a trust do not have to go through the lengthy court process.

How Will Your Assets Be Distributed?

Both a will and a trust give you the power to distribute your assets to your family after you pass away. Distribution is handled differently between the two. For a will, your executor will be the one responsible for not only distribution, but also tracking down your creditors, paying final balances, and completing your taxes. Then they get to distribute the rest to your family.

For a trust, your trustee will be the person responsible for managing and distributing your assets. When you create a trust, you can outline how your assets should be distributed to your family. If you have minor children, you can stipulate when and how they receive their inheritance.

Both will and trust in Saint Cloud require someone with knowledge about how central Minnesota law governs probate and trusts.

How Can You Guide Your Family Should You Become Incapacitated?

A comprehensive estate plan offers your family the guidance they need regarding your medical wishes during the worst circumstances. This allows them to focus on what matters most: spending time with you.

Advance healthcare directives allow you to make major healthcare decisions that your doctors and family can follow when you are unable to communicate those decisions yourself. It allows you to indicate whether you agree to organ donation. Picking a durable power of attorney means you have someone you trust guiding your doctors when unforeseen circumstances arise.

A comprehensive estate plan should include provisions for nursing home care and protect your eligibility for MinnesotaCare. This safeguards your assets from being depleted, ensuring that your family receives the inheritance you intended instead of inheriting debt.

Can Our St. Cloud Estate Planning Lawyers Help You?

When it comes to your family, you need a legal team that puts you and your loved ones first. When you use an online estate planning website, you lose that personal touch. You won’t have a team that lives in the same great city as you, that you can call when you need them. To a website, you are just another number. The consequences of an invalid estate plan are just too high.

From helping you complete your first will to designing a trust or putting your business succession planning on paper, Sandahl & Damhof is here to get your Minnesota estate plan underway. You deserve peace of mind and the knowledge that your hard work will go to your family, and not to the wrong people, or even the Minnesota government.

Call 320-526-1677 to speak with an experienced attorney in St. Cloud. Sandahl & Damhof don’t see you as just another number. We see you as a person with a family, and just like us, you want to protect them, both now and in the future. Call today to schedule a free consultation, or click here to use our online contact form.