If you are a Florida resident, having a living trust as the cornerstone of your estate plan can offer many benefits. Among them are probate avoidance, privacy, possible tax advantages, and the ability to set conditions on your heirs’ inheritances….
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Multiple marriages, divorces, blended families: These are circumstances that can make it challenging to devise an estate plan that withstands potential claims from disgruntled relatives. And when it comes to marriages, divorces and blended families, few were more familiar with…
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A recent case out of Texas illustrates why the language in your estate planning documents must be crystal clear, and anticipate all future possibilities – possibilities that may not even be on your radar. Ambiguous language can result in family…
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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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Movie financier Steve Bing died June 22, 2020 when he threw himself off the 27th floor balcony of his Los Angeles apartment building. He was 55. Bing’s life was one of wealth and celebrity, vastly different from the lives most…
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Do you have married children? Are you thinking about your estate planning? If the answer to both is yes, one of your goals is probably making sure your hard-earned assets end up with your own grandchildren should your child get…
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Many of our clients “cohabit.” They are committed to one another and share a home, but are unwilling to marry, usually for legal and financial reasons. If this is your situation, for all intents and purposes you may consider yourselves…
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This is not the forum to discuss the lurid details of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Others are doing a thorough job of that. However, there is one aspect of the saga with direct relevance to our readers: how trusts can…
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Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, Dies Intestate. Now it turns out that the “intestate” part may not be true. Three handwritten wills were found in Franklin’s suburban Detroit home recently. This development may well complicate matters, not clarify them. Multiple…
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It is always wise to seek experienced legal guidance when you are setting up your estate plan. Wording you may think is obvious may not be as clear to others as it is to you. Any ambiguity in your plan…
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