Clients often ask us about how their life insurance policies fit into their estate planning, and vice-versa. In this post we answer frequently asked questions on this subject. We will also tell you about specific traps you should avoid. Note:…
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Do you know who your children are? From an estate planning perspective, the answer may not be as obvious as you think! Inheritance rights under Florida law depend on your child’s status in relation to you. Is the person your…
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Your Personal Representative is the person you select to administer your probate estate after you pass on. Often referred to as an “executor” in states other than Florida, a Personal Representative must be named in your Last Will & Testament….
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Talk about fat cats! When Nancy Sauer died last year at age 84, her precious felines became instant millionaires. Widowed and having outlived her only child, the Tampa resident lavished love on her seven Persian cats: Leo, Midnight, Napoleon, Cleopatra,…
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Probate avoidance is a key feature of many people’s estate plans. In this blog post, we take a deeper dive into one of the perils of probate: lack of privacy. We discuss the potential negative impacts on your family, beneficiaries…
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Clients often ask us about creating a lady bird deed for them. They have heard that this type of deed can be useful for both Medicaid planning and probate avoidance. While it is true that a lady bird deed confers…
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Updated 9/18/22 The lives of celebrities are always under a microscope. So are their deaths. The latest celebrity to receive such attention is Ann Heche. The 53-year-old actress was in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles on August 5….
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If you own an asset for which you have named a legitimate death beneficiary, the asset will not go to probate when you pass on. Your beneficiary will avoid the court and the additional hassles and expenses that go with…
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A trust can be an effective estate planning tool for clients who desire a level of control over their assets. A trust allows you to place various “qualifiers” and incentives on distributions to beneficiaries. You can direct your trustee to…
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It is well-known that the probate process in Florida can be drawn out and cumbersome. That is why so many Florida residents build their estate plans around a revocable living trust, which if properly set up and funded, avoids probate….
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