Florida Elder Law & Estate Planning Blog


Florida residents riding out the pandemic in New York: what about residency and taxes?
June 15, 2020

When the incidence of coronavirus surged in New York in March, some Florida residents were stuck there, under orders to shelter in place. Some were in their own New York homes, others staying with relatives. Some who might have risked…

more
Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Residents and Families Cope With Pandemic
Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Residents and Families Cope With Pandemic
April 1, 2020

There are 71,000 people living in 691 licensed nursing homes in Florida, and thousands more in assisted living residences. Nursing homes and assisted living residences provide comfort, security and help. But these days, they also provide everything the corona virus…

more
Family Fighting Over Former Attorney General's Childhood Home
Family Fighting Over Former Attorney General’s Childhood Home
January 10, 2020

You probably think that the estate plan of one of the nation’s most prominent legal authorities would be absolutely airtight. But you would be wrong. Janet Reno was appointed U.S. Attorney General by President Clinton, the first woman to serve…

more
With A Do It Yourself Will, They Almost Got Away With Disinheriting a Rightful Beneficiary
With A Do It Yourself Will, They Almost Got Away With Disinheriting a Rightful Beneficiary
December 24, 2019

Online web sites that allow the creation of do-it-yourself estate planning documents have some serious downsides. Among them: making it easier for people with nefarious motives to create fraudulent documents. From Arkansas comes an interesting case that illustrates the danger….

more
Poorly Drafted Last Will and Testament May Disinherit Longtime Companion
September 13, 2019

Here is another, and surely not the last example of the perils of an ambiguously worded last will and testament. This story was reported in the September 7, 2019 New York Daily News. New York City psychologist Jill Morris died in 2016 of…

more
Estate Planning for Childless Couples: Matters of Life, and Death
Estate Planning for Childless Couples: Matters of Life, and Death
March 2, 2015

Search the web for “estate planning” and you’ll find a vast number of articles directed at married couples who have children. But what if you are  married and do not have kids? You might think that not having “lineal heirs”…

more
sad-senior-sitting-in-chair
Have you funded your revocable trust?
October 16, 2012

What is the difference between a revocable trust that prevents your estate from going through probate, and a revocable trust that’s just a stack of papers? The answer: funding your revocable trust. This is an essential step you must take once…

more
Divorce Pending
Florida Durable Power of Attorney for Property: New law terminates spouse’s powers when dissolution of marriage is pending
August 13, 2012

There have been changes to Florida Statute 709.2109 governing the Durable Power of Attorney. Under the new law, in the event of divorce or annulment, or when an action is filed for divorce or legal separation, your spouse loses the…

more
Hidden Cash
Disorganization usually doesn’t turn out this well
June 11, 2012

He didn’t make it easy, but Robert Spann gave his daughters quite a gift. Spann used to hide valuables in odd places in his Arizona home, without documenting or telling anyone their location, not even his heirs. After his death in…

more
newborn
U.S. Supreme Court cites Florida inheritance law in unusual case
May 22, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed down its decision in the case of Astrue v. Capato. The circumstances of the case are ones most of us will never experience. Nonetheless, the case has lessons for everyone. It underscores the importance of creating a…

more
Array