The Florida Durable Property Power of Attorney (also known as the Durable Financial Power of Attorney) is a critically important document that belongs in your life planning toolbox. The DPOA allows you (the “principal”) to give another person (your “agent”)…
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The list of celebrities who have died without an estate plan grew by one more this November, providing yet another example of the chaos that can follow lack of planning, for celebrities and non-celebrities alike. Rapper/songwriter Aaron Carter was found…
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Recently we told you about recommendations issued in 2021 by the Florida Guardianship Improvement Task Force. Most court-appointed guardians are sincere and well-meaning and do good work – but the system itself is not as good as it should be….
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If the court decides you can’t make your own decisions due to incapacity, it will appoint a guardian for you. You then lose the right to make your own decisions. Your guardian gets extensive authority over your life, from deciding…
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Being placed under court-ordered guardianship means that the court has found you incapable of managing your own affairs, and has appointed a guardian to make decisions for you. The guardian may be someone who does not know you and who…
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The art of Peter Max is instantly recognizable. His colorful, psychedelic paintings became wildly popular during the counter-culture era of the 1960s. Max’s art graced the flyer for the 1967 massive “Be-In” in Central Park; appeared on a postage stamp;…
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Britney Spears’ guardianship has drawn most of the media attention lately. But there is another, not quite-so-high-profile celebrity currently embroiled in a guardianship drama. Both stories underscore how essential it is to make legal plans for the possibility that you…
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Our Florida elder law attorneys help people make plans not just for death, but for life. Among those important life plans is avoiding court-ordered guardianship. Nearly 1.5 million Americans are currently under guardianship, most over the age of 65. There…
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Most court-appointed guardians do their best to compassionately serve their elderly wards. But there’s no doubt about it: There have been bad apples in Florida’s public guardianship system. Over the years the state has introduced several measures aimed at better…
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On February 11, Rebecca Fierle was arrested in Marion County, Florida on felony charges of aggravated abuse of an elderly person. As disturbing as elder abuse is, this case is particularly horrifying because Fierle was a professional guardian, entrusted with…
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