The distinction between a security interest and a mortgage is easy to understand: a security interest under Article 9 of the UCC is used for personal property, and a mortgage is used for real estate. Rarely is there any confusion between these two. However, there is a third category of collateral which blurs the lines...

L ife is full of uncertainties. One essential way to establish a sturdier footing is to maintain an up-to-date estate plan. However, even seemingly-solid testamentary documents (e.g. Wills) that are executed as part of an estate plan may encounter a number of challenges. Some of these challenges are fairly simple to manage—for example, by ensuring...

It is estimated that in the United States over the next 20 years more than $50 trillion in wealth will transfer from the Baby Boomers to Generation X and the Millennials. That is a lot of money. This Great Wealth Transfer is not going to occur just through inheritances when Baby Boomers die. Baby Boomer...

The primary goal of estate planning is to assure the transfer of a decedent’s property to the beneficiaries of his choice at the smallest possible financial and emotional cost. During the course of a lifetime various types of property are accumulated and many personal relationships are developed. The twin foundations of all estate plans are...

In Minnesota, contractors who have not been paid for their work have 120 days to enforce their mechanic’s lien rights, or risk losing their ability to make a claim. Under Section 514.08 of the Minnesota Statutes, the 120-day clock starts running from the last day a contractor has done work on the property, or from...

The Frontline Worker Pay application period opens for employees on June 8, 2022 and will run 45 days until July 22, 2022. All eligible workers will have until the closing of the application period to apply for Frontline Worker Pay and applicant support will be available to assist applicants in multiple languages. Background information on...

While it has always been important to review and revise your estate plan when going through divorce, a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision, filed on May 23, 2022, makes doing so all the more necessary. In the Matter of the Estate of Mathew Joseph Tomczik, the Court of Appeals determined that when a former...