Estate Planning

When someone turns 18 in South Dakota, they are a legal adult with full responsibility for their own actions and personal choices. The process of becoming a truly independent adult is often a slow transition while someone completes their education or develops a...

Most of the time, probate largely focuses on reviewing someone's last wishes and carrying them out after satisfying their obligations. However, sometimes, estate administration ends up triggering major family conflicts wherein siblings turn on one another or...

For many older adults, estate planning is as much about ensuring they leave something valuable for their loved ones as it is about protecting themselves later in life. You may have invested much personal effort in the process of selecting beneficiaries for certain...

Your children depend on you not just for guidance but also for protection. You provide physical protection from the elements by giving them shelter and practical protection by ensuring they have a healthy and safe environment. If anything were to happen to you, that...

Guardianship exists for a reason. Sometimes, adults simply lose the ability to make good decisions on their own behalf and handle their households. They need outside support to pay their bills, make it to appointments or take their medication on time. Dementia, brain...

Managing the estate of a parent can be a challenge. It requires practical planning and emotional fortitude. Going through a lifetime's worth of assets and memories can be hard for a child grieving a loss. Needing to liquidate or sell property owned by a parent can be...

If you are creating an estate plan in South Dakota, you may find that there are some complications with your assets. Complex assets are among the many issues that can mean there is more to estate planning than simply creating a will. Owning oil, gas or mineral rights...

If you live in South Dakota, property that is held in your estate may be subject to the state's probate laws. However, there are a variety of strategies that might be available to ensure that your property is exempt from those laws. This may help to ensure that your...

The estate planning steps that you take while alive may make it possible to exert a greater level of control over your assets from the grave. For instance, creating a pour-over will ensures that items held in your South Dakota estate will be put into a trust instead...

Now that you've decided to write your estate plan, you're well on your way to protecting yourself and your loved ones in the event that you die or become incapacitated. However, there are still certain legal issues that might arise if you don't plan your estate...