Bozeman Magazine

Montana State University Extension will offer a free weekly webinar series on estate and legacy planning beginning in February. Fabulous Fridays will run from Feb. 4 through March 25, with webinars from 10 to 11 a.m. The series is in partnership with the Montana 4-H Foundation and MSU 4-H Center for Youth Development.

Topics for the eight-part series include how to write a letter of last instruction; what tasks survivors need to accomplish after the death of a person; tools to avoid probate; is it better to make gifts while the gifter is alive or left as a bequest after the gifter dies; financial and legal planning documents for those concerned about memory loss; using an IRA as a legacy planning tool; selecting an attorney to develop an estate plan or administer an estate (probate); and accessing a deceased person’s financial accounts.

There will be a Q&A session at the end of each program, followed by a guest speaker who will share information about Montana 4-H. 

“So many families across Montana have a legacy in 4-H and our faculty and teens are excited to share the continued role 4-H plays for youth,” said Todd Kesner, director of the Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development.

Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist, and Kimberly Woodring, Toole County Extension agent, are the presenters for the series.

During the past two years, Goetting and her Extension colleagues have presented more than 50 estate planning webinars under the themes of MontGuide Mondays, Tuesday Tips, Wisdom Wednesdays and Thoughtful Thursdays. Goetting has received state, regional and national awards for her programs. She has authored 49 MontGuide fact sheets about estate planning and related topics.

Woodring, who is from the Cut Bank area, is a 2016 graduate of MSU’s College of Agriculture, focusing on agriculture education. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same field. Woodring has a vested interest in estate planning for agriculture operations and her office has co-hosted the Montana’s Next Generation Conference in Shelby for several years.

To register for the Fabulous Fridays webinar series, visit 
montana.edu/estateplanning/fabulousfridays then click on registration.