Tuesday Tips: The Ins and Outs of Joint Tenancy

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

As I mentioned several weeks ago, with all the developments surrounding COVID-19, Dr. Marsha Goetting wanted to be able to continue her estate planning programming in a virtual format.  As a result, MSU Extension has a series of 30-minute webinars on a variety of topics, called Tuesday Tips.  This week’s tip is on the ins and outs of joint tenancy.

Webinars have been broadcast every Tuesday at 11 a.m. and will continue to be through the month of May.  It is suggested that you log on 5 to 10 minutes early each week, so you have time to make sure your sound and video are working properly.


The schedule, including a list of topics, and links to join each webinar, can be found by googling MSU Extension Tuesday tips.  One week ahead of time, the link to join each webinar will be posted next to upcoming topic, along with a link to helpful resources, such as relevant MontGuides.  Once on the schedule page go to the webinar schedule link on the left side of the page and you will also find instructions for joining the webinars using a computer or a smart phone.  If you are unable to attend the live webinars, you can view the recorded versions on the Tuesday Tips website.  However, joining the webinars live will allow you to ask Dr. Goetting questions about the topic in real time.

Back to the topic at hand, the following are several comments overheard at a local café: “My property is held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, I don’t need a will.  Right?”  Another comment overheard, “When I remarried, I placed my property in joint tenancy with my new wife.  I can write a will to leave the property to my kids.  Right?”  Last comment, “I added my daughter’s name to my checking account.  That was the right thing to do, Right?” Listen in to hear Marsha’s response.  Hint: she says, “Probably WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!”


To further prepare for the webinar, I would encourage you to check out the MSU Extension MontGuide, titled, “How to Transfer Real Property Owned in a Joint Tenancy or in a Life Estate Without Probate.”  Visit www.msuextension.org and click on the publications link at the top of the page to download the MontGuide.  You might find questions from reading the publication that Marsha can answer during the webinar on Tuesday!

Coping with Stress as a Family

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension


I want to start off by asking a question.  How is your family handling stress right now?  Everyone will answer this question with a different answer depending on their families and current circumstances. It also depends on the day and what each family member might be facing that day in terms of work deadlines, schoolwork and so on.  Yesterday, my boys convinced me to engage them in several outdoor activities.  Between shooting hoops and trying to keep our dog at bay from stealing the basketball and then running all over our yard as we had a Nerf gun war, it is safe to say that I was a bit worn out last night.  I say worn out, but not stressed, because physical activity is one of the ways that we as families can deal with stress in our lives.  


In an MSU Extension publication titled “Family Stress and Coping” which is available free to everyone on the MSU Extension website, under the publications link, there is a section that deals with how to deal with individual stress.  I’m going to say that this could also be titled, how to deal with stress as a family, because we need our families.  

So, first, be realistic.  When feeling overwhelmed don’t try to do too much. Can you ask someone, like a family member, to help you with tasks?  Focus on one thing at a time by making a list of what needs to get done.  Prioritize the list and focus on one task at a time.  This works under our circumstances now too.  Use this list to help delegate tasks to family members.  Just like cleaning our house over the weekend, when we pull together as a family, the chores get done a lot faster than when we have to convince some members to help.  Exercise too because research has found that physical exercise can help in reducing stress.  Try walking the dog or going on a hike or simple family outing.  Just remember your social distancing at this time!  Take breaks for your hobbies by reading a book, playing music, etc.  Try laughing as a family, by watching a movie or playing a game.  Take a break from taking things too seriously.  Maintain a healthy lifestyle by trying to have a balance of work and fun.  Eat well, cut down on caffeine and high sugar foods, and avoid alcohol and drugs.  A balanced diet is more important than ever during stressful times.  Lastly, consider journaling each day.  Sometimes our brains are so full of what needs to be done, how we are feeling about a situation, or fear of not remembering what we need to do, that we become overwhelmed.  Journaling can be helpful to express our emotions and keep track of what needs to be done. 


I hope that these give you some ideas about how you and your family can make it through our trying times stronger than ever. 

Montana Ag Producer Stress Resource Clearinghouse

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension


In all my years growing up on the farm, I don’t think I ever saw my parents, and especially my dad, stressed about farming.  I don’t know whether it was because he was the ranch manager and not the owner that caused the lack of stress, or the fact that I don’t think he ever stressed about anything.  His was that type of personality that just took events as they came.  I have to say that apparently that characteristic is not one that he passed along to me.  I stress about just about any and everything.  Perhaps, that’s why I gravitate towards an awareness of stress in our lives and how to alleviate or mediate stress.  It is also important to note that stress and mental health are more a part of our vernacular and not a social taboo as they once were.


Two to three weeks back, several MSU Extension specialists announced the beginning of an online “Montana Ag Producer Stress Resource Clearinghouse.”  To me this is a fancy way of saying, it’s a website devoted to helping producers with stress and mental health.  It’s located at https://msuextension.org/wellness/stress-management or you can google Montana Ag Producer Stress Resource Clearinghouse.  I’ve started to look over the different resources that are on the website and I wanted to describe it a bit to everyone.  In these times of very real uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts each of us and our livelihoods differently and distinctly, it’s nice to know that there are resources out there that are designed to help producers.  That being said, these resources at the website aren’t just for producers.  They can apply to many, if not all of us in our own lives and occupations.  

On the website, there are several topics that are covered.  If you want to know what stress is and how it affects your physical or mental health, or watch a TED Talk about those things, there’s a link for that.  There is a separate link for measuring your stress.  I took this test and no surprise; it came back as moderately stressed.  But, it’s a place to begin and gives you food for thought.  Continuing on, if you want to know how to manage your stress, including self help like knowing what types of foods to be eating to have a healthy diet, or just as importantly, how to help others, follow that specific link.  If you would like more information on mental health and more scholarly resources on that topic there are links to follow there too.  There is a myriad of other resources on the website that I invite you to search through as you have the opportunity.  These are important resources that are worth your time, either as a producer or in other livelihoods and circumstances.

Tuesday Tips Webinar Series: Dying Without a Will

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

With our shelter-in-place order and all of the recent developments surrounding COVID-19, Dr. Marsha Goetting wanted to be able to continue her estate planning programming in a virtual format.  As a result, MSU Extension has planned a series of 30-minute webinars on a variety of topics, called Tuesday Tips.  The first one starts tomorrow, April 7th, at 11 a.m. and is about dying without a will.

This series, hosted by Dr. Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension’s Family Economics Specialist, will focus on a variety of topics such as wills, beneficiaries, trusts, Montana medical savings accounts, and more.  Webinars will be broadcast every Tuesday at 11 a.m., beginning April 7th.  It is suggested that you log on 5 to 10 minutes early each week, so you have time to make sure your sound and video are working properly.

The schedule, including a list of topics, and links to join each webinar, can be found by googling MSU Extension Tuesday tips.  One week ahead of time, the link to join each webinar will be posted next to upcoming topic, along with a link to helpful resources, such as relevant MontGuides.  Once on the schedule page go to the webinar schedule link on the left side of the page and you will also find instructions for joining the webinars using a computer or a smart phone.  If you are unable to attend the live webinars, you can view the recorded versions on the Tuesday Tips website.  However, joining the webinars live will allow you to ask Dr. Goetting questions about the topic in real time.

Resources for the Dying Without a Will presentation include MontGuides such as a Glossary of Estate Planning Terms, Dying Without a Will in Montana, Montana Common Law Marriage and Estate Planning and Estate Planning in Montana: Getting Started.  All of these MontGuides can be downloaded from the MSU Extension website or can be found on Dr. Goettting’s Tuesday Tips website under the April 7^th link in the Webinar Schedule tab.  

As a heads-up for next week, the topic on April 14^th will be Beneficiaries 101.  It will answer questions like, what’s a POD?  What’s a TOD?  What beneficiary designations can be placed on U.S. Savings Bonds?  Are your beneficiary designations on life insurance, IRAs and other retirement accounts up-to-date?  How can you leave your real property to beneficiaries without it going through a costly probate?