#estateplanning

What is the One Document Every Person Over Age 18 Should Have?

Nov 21, 2017
1 min

What is the One Document Every Person Over Age 18 Should Have?

Check out my video post discussing the one document that every adult (anyone over the age of 18) should have. The answer may surprise you. To ask a question for a future post, please submit your questions here. #WisconsinEstatePlanning #EstatePlanning

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What Does my Spouse Get When I Die? (or: What Does Wisconsin State Law Say About My Surviving Spouse

Thomas B. Burton

Oct 21, 2017
2 min

What Does my Spouse Get When I Die? (or: What Does Wisconsin State Law Say About My Surviving Spouse

Wis. Stat. 861.01 Ownership of marital property at death. (1) Surviving spouse's one-half interest in marital property. Upon the death of either spouse, the surviving spouse retains his or her undivided one-half interest in each item of marital property. The surviving spouse's undivided one-half interest in each item of marital property is not subject to administration. Ownership and management and control rights are set forth under ss. 857.01 and 857.015. (2) Interest of a

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2 Reasons Why Every Parent Should Have a Will

Thomas B. Burton

Dec 4, 2016
4 min

2 Reasons Why Every Parent Should Have a Will

1. Nominate a Guardian for Minor Children For parents of minor children, your will can be used to nominate a “Guardian” for your children. The “Guardian” is the person legally responsible for raising your children if something happened to both parents. This is often one of the primary reasons parents of minor children choose to execute a will. In the absence of a Guardian nominated in your will, the local court of jurisdiction would decide who would become the guardian of an

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Thomas B. Burton

May 20, 2016
1 min

Owning a Cabin "Up North"

I read a great piece about owning a cabin written by a Minnesota Attorney, David J. Meyers, called "Lake Law 101 - Or: So you Want to Own a Cabin..." in the Bench & Bar publication put out by the Minnesota State Bar Association. While this piece focuses on Minnesota law, many of the issues he talks about are the same issues to consider in Wisconsin when buying or remodeling a lake home. Whether you own a lake home now, or are considering it in the future this piece is a great

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Prince's Death Illustrates Importance of Having a Will

Thomas B. Burton

May 9, 2016
1 min

Prince's Death Illustrates Importance of Having a Will

Many of you will be familiar with the artist named Prince, who died recently at his Paisley Park Recording Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Local media has covered this story quite extensively and one of the most surprising and tragic aspects has been the discovery that Prince died without a will. There now looms a likely lengthy and expensive legal fight between his siblings over control of his estate. This article does a great job of illustrating so

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Reason #2 to Consider a Revocable Living Trust: Planning for Incapacity

Thomas B. Burton

Apr 24, 2016
3 min

Reason #2 to Consider a Revocable Living Trust: Planning for Incapacity

This blog post is a continuation of my series on the top reasons to consider forming a revocable living trust for your estate. If you missed the first post in this series, you can check it out here. To recap, a trust is a private agreement made between the person who creates the trust (the “settlor”) and the person named to look after the property on the settlor’s behalf (the “trustee”). The most common estate planning document used as a will substitute is a revocable living

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In Person Meetings Now Available in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Thomas B. Burton

Mar 6, 2016
1 min

In Person Meetings Now Available in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

I am pleased to announce that I have signed an agreement to use Executive Office space at the Waterford Building, in Eau Claire, to meet with clients for in person consultations. This Class A office space is owned and managed by the Goldridge Companies and overlooks the river and the Eau Claire Country Club. Located on the third floor of the Waterford Building, this meeting space offers covered parking and a variety of conference rooms in which to meet clients. Located at 310

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Reason #1 to Consider a Revocable Living Trust: PRIVACY

Thomas B. Burton

Nov 22, 2015
2 min

Reason #1 to Consider a Revocable Living Trust: PRIVACY

A trust is a private agreement made between the person who creates the trust (the “settlor”) and the person named to look after the property on the settlor’s behalf (the “trustee”). The most common estate planning document used as a will substitute is a revocable living trust. The “living” part of “revocable living trust” means that the trust is created while the settlor is alive (or “living”) and the “revocable” part of the name refers to the fact that the trust can be chang

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Instructions for Disposition of Your Body after Death

Thomas B. Burton

Oct 22, 2015
1 min

Instructions for Disposition of Your Body after Death

Did you know that Wisconsin law allows you to designate an Agent and detail your wishes for the final disposition of your body after your death in writing? This document is formally referred to as an “Authorization for Final Disposition” and is separate from your Will. In this document you can also leave instructions to your Agent recording your wishes regarding such things as: Arrangements for a viewing (if any) Funeral ceremony, memorial service, graveside service or other

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Thomas B. Burton

May 9, 2014
5 min

What is Avvo.com? Strategies for Finding a Lawyer in the Internet Age

Recently I was asked to give my opinion about the website Avvo.com. Avvo is a website that attempts to list all the attorneys in a given area, and rank them based on client reviews and other information. It also gives basic information about an attorney's education, licenses and disciplinary history. According to their website, they first began in 2007. Therefore, in the long scope of the history and development of the legal profession, Avvo.com is a very recent development.

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Burton Law LLC

A Boutique Law Firm Focusing on Estate Planning