Friday, September 30, 2011

What happens to life insurance and retirement benefits when I die?

If you have a Will, certain property or benefits may be distributed to your spouse or others even though it is not mentioned in the Will.  Typically, life insurance, retirement benefits, joint tenancy property, and property in a “living trust” are distributed directly to the beneficiaries named in the policy, plan, or trust.  If you own certain property specifically as a “joint tenant” with others, that property will go directly to the other joint tenants who are alive after your death, without regard to how you have distributed your estate in a Will.

 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Take care of your property or it may cost you

Minn. Stat §429.101 grants the government the ability to collect unpaid special/service charges as a special assessment against the property benefited for all or any part of the cost of:

(1) snow, ice, or rubbish removal from sidewalks;

(2) weed elimination from streets or private property;

(3) removal or elimination of public health or safety hazards from private property;

(4) installation or repair of water service lines, street sprinkling or other dust treatment of streets;

(5) the trimming and care of trees and the removal of unsound trees from any street;

(6) the treatment and removal of insect infested or diseased trees on private property, the repair of sidewalks and alleys;

(7) the operation of a street lighting system;
           
(8) the operation and maintenance of a fire protection or a pedestrian skyway
             system;

(9) inspections relating to a municipal housing maintenance code violation;

(10) the recovery of disbursements for payment of utility bills and other services, even if provided by a third party, necessary to remedy violations; or

(11) the recovery of delinquent vacant building registration fees under a municipal program designed to identify and register vacant buildings.

This means, for example, if you allow weeds to grow in your lawn in violation of city code the city can specially assess your property for the cost of the removal.