Here’s a map that explains one reason old people head south: “State Estate and Inheritance Taxes in 2014”. The cross-border differences are almost as interesting as those in the Minnesota and Wisconsin family law statutes. Why does Minnesota rely on estate tax while Wisconsin does not? I asked an estate planning lawyer once why California, given its constant struggles to find more tax dollars to spend (as a percentage of residents’ income, the state already spends more than all but 4 states). He replied “They would love to grab that, but estate taxes are prohibited by their constitution and the constitutional amendment process is extremely cumbersome.”
[Separately, if Warren Buffett stays in Omaha, Nebraska, the maps suggests that any budget problems may be resolved!]