We want to bring to your attention a growing threat: Title fraud, also known as title theft or deed theft. It is a type of identity theft. Six in 10 real estate professionals report title fraud cases in their market…
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Tony Bennett sang I Left My Heart in San Francisco – but he left his family’s trust assets in the hands of his oldest child, Danny Bennett. And that’s a melody his siblings are not happy to hear. His two…
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Every year, millions of dollars of life insurance proceeds go unclaimed because beneficiaries do not realize that a policy exists, or if they do, do not know how to find it. Lost policies are more common than you might think….
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Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, aka the King of Rock & Roll, died of cardiac failure on January 12. She was 54. A potential contest for control of her estate has already begun, a mere two…
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Florida law offers a robust safety net for surviving spouses: the elective share. A surviving spouse has the right to inherit 30% of his/her deceased spouse’s estate, as well as the right to live in the homestead property (or to…
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Burton Pugach and Linda Riss’ life together is a bizarre saga that captured public attention years ago. Consider the title of the 2007 documentary about their relationship: “Crazy Love.” Pugach’s recent death, allegedly while he was being abused and coerced…
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For most people, the ultimate goal of estate planning is to promote family harmony. If your family members get along well, you want your plan to encourage more of the same. If they don’t, you want to avoid adding more…
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The dog ate my homework! That time-worn excuse usually gets an unprepared student an “F”. But suppose Rover isn’t interested in your homework, but in your last will and testament? That could result in an “L” – as in lawsuit. …
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The deadline for Florida homeowners to apply for homestead exemption on their primary residence is March 1, 2020. The exemption can reduce the assessed value of your primary residence by as much as $50,000. There are also additional exemptions for…
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Reports frequently come in from around the country about misplaced, forgotten or hidden valuables found in deceased person’s homes, or in items that have been donated to second-hand stores. Sometimes the valuables are discovered by rightful heirs, sometimes not. It’s…
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