Florida Elder Law & Estate Planning Blog


Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, Dies Intestate
August 23, 2018

Singer Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018. The 76-year-old “Queen of Soul” died at her Detroit home of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by family. Winner of 18 Grammy awards and known for iconic songs like “Respect,” Franklin was intensely…

more
Anthony_Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain not yet divorced when he died, potentially complicating estate plan
August 13, 2018

Marriage and divorce play a big role in the effectiveness of your estate plan. Here’s a prime example. The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and Ottavia Busia married in 2007. They had a daughter, Ariane. According to Bourdain, their relationship…

more
Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s Estate Plan Built For Privacy
February 28, 2018

If you are someone who values privacy – in life and in death – take a page from Harper Lee’s estate plan. The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Lee was a ferociously private individual. And…

more
trustee
When the trustee and beneficiaries are siblings, everyone needs to know the ground rules to stay on good terms!
January 18, 2017

Consider this scenario: A parent passes away and one of the decedent’s children, a beneficiary of the trust, takes over because he was named trustee of the parent’s trust. His siblings are also beneficiaries. Since no one in the family…

more
Prince
This Prince was no pauper
April 27, 2016

Update 5/2/2016: The Carver County, Minnesota District Court today appointed Bremer Trust as Special Administrator of Prince’s estate.  The untimely death of musical superstar Prince has estate planning lawyers paying close attention. With all the usual combustible elements in place…

more
identity theft
Thieves can steal from you and you don’t even have to be alive!
January 12, 2016

If there’s a way to make a dishonest buck, you can be sure someone, somewhere will find it and exploit it. And because scammers always zero in on the most vulnerable people, families grieving the death of a loved one…

more