A loved one's death has a way of taking an already-fragile family dynamic and fracturing it even more deeply. It's not uncommon for disputes among siblings to quickly spiral out of control, resulting in knock-down-drag-out battles in probate court. Learning more about...
When provisions in a will get scrutiny and declared invalid
Every detail of your will received enough scrutiny that you believe that this document is infallible. Although the process took a great amount of planning and decision-making, you now rest easy. Your estate plan is in place, providing you and your beneficiaries a...
Why you should include your funeral and memorial wishes in your estate plan
A comprehensive estate plan is about more than detailing who will receive your assets after you’re gone and who will be in charge of your health care and finances if you become incapacitated. You can make things easier for your family if you designate the final...
What did you forget in your will?
It is no secret that considering your own mortality is an unsavory topic. For this reason, many people approach the creation of an estate plan with trepidation. Even when a plan is drafted, it is not uncommon for individuals will hurry through toward the finish line,...
Here’s why a trust should be flexible
When crafting a trust to leave money for your heirs, your focus is on establishing rules and regulations. The trust is supposed to give you some control over what happens to that money so that it isn't wasted. For instance, perhaps it is an educational trust. You...
What you should and shouldn’t look for in a Florida executor
One of the most challenging aspects of estate planning is selecting an ideal candidate to fulfill the executor's role. That individual has some pretty essential responsibilities to handle, after all, including setting with your creditors, filing your final tax return...
Do you know what qualifies as a valid will in Florida?
There are many misconceptions about estate planning out there. For example, many people assume that you need to have valuable assets to draft a will, but this isn't true. Many individuals execute wills to let the state know what they want to happen with their property...
Should you use a trust in your estate plan?
If you took a gap year, you may have come across a few young travelers who had more money than most and did not need to work to fund their endless vacation. They were able to do this because a kindly relative had left them a regular supply of money through a trust...
Does your estate plan include a business succession plan?
Most estate plans do not include business succession plans for the simple reason that most people do not own their own businesses. Even among those who do, they may not add the business into the plan because they fully intend to sell it and retire long before passing...
Do you have a good reason to remove the executor of a loved one’s estate?
When a loved one dies, it’s hard enough to handle all of the emotional fallout that comes along with your loss. It’s even harder, however, to try to manage a problematic situation with the estate’s executor. You can challenge the executor of your loved one’s estate...