• Estate Planning
• Wills and Living Trusts
• Medical and Health Care Directives
• Powers of Attorney
• Elder Law and Public Benefits Planning
• Probate
• Trust Administration
• Real Property Transactions
• Business and Non Profit Organization Issues
ESTATE PLANNING
The estate tax landscape has vastly changed the way people plan for the transfer of assets, or whether they need to update an older living trust or will. Every day, people continue to need wills, trusts, and powers of attorney to protect families, carry out wishes, and appoint responsible people to watch over children and hard earned assets.
That’s where BNK shines. Turning to intelligent, experienced attorneys to determine the right vehicle for estate planning is more important than ever before. The attorneys at Behrens, Nelson & Knudson offer sensible advice and creative planning to protect assets, preserve exclusions from property tax reassessment, and minimize the immense burden a death in the family can trigger.
Planning for death is not easy, but planning for accidents and incapacity is even harder. We look for solutions to the hard questions about how to access money if a family member becomes incapacitated, who to put in charge of managing assets and paying bills, and choosing the best course of care. Whether a health care directive, power of attorney, or living trust is the answer, BNK’s attorneys develop plans that consider comfort, care, and legacy so that families can feel free from burden.
TRUST AND ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
Losing a family member can be one of the most painful and shocking experiences in life. Sometimes the deceased person planned well, and named a person in charge of carrying out their wishes and administering their estate.
Sometimes there is no plan, or a poorly prepared one. The person in charge (whether because that person is named in the will or trust, or simply available) may have never served as an executor or trustee before, or may have never even visited a lawyer’s office. Probate and trust administration (or carrying out the wishes expressed in an estate plan after a person dies) can be a bewildering, convoluted, and complex process. There are court procedures, fiduciary responsibilities, accounting and tax preparations, and managing communication with beneficiaries and family members.
Behrens, Nelson & Knudson relies on years of qualified experience in administration to guide people through the duties and responsibilities that lay ahead after a death. We make sure that personal representatives carry out the duties required under the law, the will or trust instrument, and the wishes expressed by the lost family member.
