Living Trust FAQA living trust, also known as a revocable trust, revocable living trust, or inter vivos trust, is an alternative way to own property during your life and transfer property at your death. Living trusts have been in use
Gardner Law Firm, PC
Gardner Law Firm, PC is a law firm based in Urbandale, Iowa, specializing in estate planning and related legal services. The firm provides guidance on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, probate, decedent's estates, guardianship, and inheritance and estate tax issues. It also offers probate litigation and will contest services. Additionally, the firm supports small business clients with business formation, registered agent services, and business succession planning. The firm publishes blogs that discuss practical legal topics such as living trusts, inheritance tax changes, living wills, and trustee responsibilities, aiming to inform clients about estate planning and probate matters relevant to Iowa law.
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Ding Dong, The Iowa Inheritance Tax is Dead
If you were luck to live until January 1, 2025, and you were worried about your beneficiaries having to pay Iowa inheritance tax when your estate is passed on to them, your worries are now over. The Iowa inheritance tax…
Your Voice, Your Choices: Thinking about Living Wills and Advance Directives
Who Should Handle Your Assets After Death? Professional or an Amateur?
Iowa Inheritance Tax – A Thing of the Past in the Future?
Will Contests in Iowa Before Death? Nope.
Check out my post on the pre-mortem will contest on the Probate-Iowa blog. Too tired to click and just want the short answer? Can’t do it in Iowa. Have to wait until the person dies before you challenge the will.
Will Contest Before Death? Not in Iowa.
The Iowa Supreme Court recently dealt with the question of a “pre-mortem” will contest. Will contests are typically filed after the person (testator) has died. For example, typical will challenges are based on lack of testamentary capacity or undue influence,…
Selling Real Estate During Probate
When I’m discussing the probate process with a client, the discussion will get to a point where we talk about how the process may take a year or so before it is completed. And then I get the question:
You…
Do Assets with Beneficiaries Go Through Probate?
That’s a common question I get. Here’s the example: we are handling the probate estate for a deceased individual and we are discussing the assets: house, bank account, CD, car, etc. Then we also inquire about retirement accounts (IRA or…
New Law for Iowa Small Estates Starting July 1, 2020
For deaths of Iowa residents that occur after July 1, 2020, Iowa law now permits estates up to $200,000 in total “probate” value to use Iowa’s small estate chapter (Iowa Code chapter 635). So–as I typically ask–what does…