Recent Blog Posts
Skilled Nursing Facilities
Many clients walk into their initial consultation with an estate planning lawyer equipped with the name of an enemy and the lengths to which they are willing to go to keep this enemy at bay. For some clients, the enemy is the IRS, and the client has grandiose plans of transferring every item of… Read More »
Can You Afford To Retire In Florida?
More people moved to Florida in 2022 than to any other state. The recent arrivals represent all age groups. Florida has long been a popular retirement destination; the youngsters are a fairly recent addition. Conventional wisdom used to hold that, as long as you are not in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County, where… Read More »
Homestead Property And Your Estate Plan
Owning a house, even a modest one, gives you a sense of financial security. A lot of people reasonably fear that they will never be able to afford to retire, but if you own a house with a paid off mortgage, you do not have that worry. Not everyone who owns a house outright… Read More »
What’s New With The Annual Gift Tax Exclusion?
Once your children grow past the stage where getting a remote control car for Christmas is the pinnacle of excitement, it is best to adopt a “no gifts this year” policy. The kind of car your kids can get excited about at this stage is one for which liability insurance alone is expensive enough,… Read More »
The “Hope For The Best But Prepare For The Worst” Estate Plan
A relentless optimist would say that the most beautiful thing about being an adult and a parent is that there is always so much work to be done that you don’t have time to get upset about things that don’t really matter. You haven’t logged into Facebook since before the birth of your first… Read More »
Altruistic Reasons To Set Up A Trust
When the 99 percent hear about trust funds, they tend to think about rich people spending lots of money on frivolous things and not paying taxes on any of it, but they’re just jealous. You don’t have to be especially wealthy to set up a trust. You just have to plan carefully. People use… Read More »
In Florida, Seniors Are Safe From Winter’s Seasonal Hazards
The idea of Florida as a great place to spend your golden years is not a new one. Before South Beach was full of ostentatious partygoers, it was full of retirees. If you watch old episodes of Miami Vice, you will see that a disproportionate number of the extras are elderly; these were the… Read More »
Establishing A Trust When The Beneficiary Is A Minor
Trusts are a popular estate planning tool, and not just for wealthy people. By placing assets in a trust, you can keep them from being part of your estate that goes through probate; therefore, the beneficiaries can inherit them more quickly and more easily. You can even set up a living trust with yourself… Read More »
What Happens To Debts That Other People Owe You
As stressful as it is when you owe debts that you cannot pay, it is just as stressful when other people do not pay you the money that they owe you. This is true in the case of debts you incurred and money you lent on your own behalf, and it is also true… Read More »
True Or False: The Early Bird Gets The Estate
Technically, you don’t have to go through probate after a family member dies. Even if the decedent was a stickler for punctuality, he or she is not there to complain about you being late in administering the estate. Some families open a deceased family member’s estate for probate years after the decedent’s death. It… Read More »