Recent Blog Posts
Do Risky Investments Have Any Place In Your Retirement Plan?
Money is only one of the things you need to think about when you plan for retirement. Estate planning lawyers may break the ice by asking you what you would like to spend money on in your old age and what your idea of a comfortable retirement looks like. Beyond those first few conversations,… Read More »
Difficult Decisions When Balancing Your Responsibilities As A Parent With Your Estate Plan
Before commercial flights take off, flight attendants instruct passengers that, if the oxygen masks descend due to a decrease in cabin pressure, they should put on their own oxygen masks before trying to assist their children with their masks. A similar principle applies when it comes to securing your own financial future while helping… Read More »
Asset Protection Strategies To Keep Medicaid From Helping Itself To Your Estate
Like the mother-in-law who promises to provide free childcare and then breaks all your rules about food and discipline while complaining constantly about how noisy your kids are and how much they eat, Medicaid is there for you. Most of the things in life that promise to be freebies are not, including Medicaid nursing… Read More »
Probate Nightmares: Finding Out That The House You Just Inherited Is Encumbered By A Faustian Bargain
Determining how your descendants should inherit a real estate property you own is a big decision. You want to be fair to everyone and avoid inciting sibling feuds or aggravating existing ones. You also don’t want the house to be a financial burden on your family. If you think that your children are just… Read More »
Reality Check: Depending On Your Family For Elder Care Is Less Affordable Than You Think
An aging in place plan that takes family togetherness as its cornerstone sounds idyllic. Think of the affordable family meals and the multigenerational social events. Think of the money your children will save on childcare if you babysit your grandchildren while your kids work on evenings and weekends. Your son-in-law adores you, and the… Read More »
Are Burial And Cremation The Only Options?
Maybe you do not care what will happen to your money after you die, and perhaps you do not have any money for anyone to inherit, but one thing is certain. Everyone who dies leaves behind mortal remains. Even if you do not have any property, you at least owe it to the people… Read More »
Florida Senate Introduces Bill To Protect Elder Abuse Victims From Creditor Harassment
Debt collection communications can stress you out at any stage of your life. If you are in a strong enough financial position that you are talking to an estate planning lawyer about placing your assets in a trust so that creditors cannot get them, or even spending down your assets in order to qualify… Read More »
Reality Check: Will The Nursing Home In Your Town Still Be There When You Need It?
Nursing home planning is an important part of your estate plan. Whether you choose to age in place or move to an assisted living facility, there is a good chance that, at some point during your retirement, you will need the kind of assistance with tasks of daily life that you can most easily… Read More »
Disinheriting Your Children: Do’s And Don’ts
Another holiday season has come and gone, and your children and grandchildren are getting more ungrateful by the year. They complain about the gifts you give, and when they visit you, they complain about the food and about the condition of your house, and they never offer to help. You do your best to… Read More »
What Happens To The Decedent’s Business Interests During Probate?
You might have heard the estate planning maxim that the law categorizes all assets that are not real estate or accounts full of money as personal property, meaning that the probate court does not see any difference between the socks in the decedent’s sock drawer, on the one hand, and valuable paintings, on the… Read More »