Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?

“Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate,” a program about transferring non-titled personal property, will be presented virtually in a two-session program on Monday, May 8, and Monday, May 15, beginning at 7 p.m. The program is sponsored by Montana State University using curriculum created by University of Minnesota Extension.

Passing on personal possessions is a process that occurs for almost every person in every kind of family and Roubie Younkin, Montana State University Extension, will walk people through that process during this virtual class. Across the generations, objects have meaning and carry history -- for individuals, for groups, and for families. Every person and every family is different. The experiences they have when making decisions about who gets what, and why, are also different.

Today, it is not uncommon for families to be more complex than generations past. Decisions about property may involve four or five generations, and include spouses, siblings, step-siblings, spouses from remarriages, domestic partners, adopted children, in-laws, friends, loved ones, and others.

Who gets personal property is an issue frequently ignored until a crisis occurs. It is often assumed to be an unimportant issue or an issue that will take care of itself. Experiences of family members and their attorneys suggest otherwise. The transfer of non-titled property is an issue that impacts individuals regardless of their financial worth, heritage, or cultural background. It is an issue that affects everyone.

What surprises many people, is that the transfer of non-titled personal property can create more challenges among family members than the transfer of titled property. It is often the emotional value attached to personal belongings that makes talking about transfers challenging.

Transferring non-titled property takes time and energy. Many times families are faced with distributing non-titled property at high stress times, such as when a parent has experienced a health crisis, or after a funeral. Families use a variety of methods to distribute or transfer non-titled property. No method is “right” or “perfect” for all families.

This workshop will help family members improve communication in order to deal more effectively with the problems and issues related to transferring non-titled property. For more information and to register please call 406-228-6241. There is a $15 registration fee to cover the cost of the workbook used in this class.