Estate Planning and Vacation Homes

Category Archives: Estate Planning

Estate Planning and Vacation Homes

A vacation home is piece of property that can cause a lot of headaches for loved one if the owner suddenly passes away. This is especially true if the home has been in the family for many years. To that end, it’s it’s important to have it very clearly laid out in your estate plan […]

What Are the Requirements for Creating a Will in Florida?

A will can be a powerful document, determining exactly how your estate will be split among your heirs, charities or any other recipients that you choose.  However, to ensure that your wishes are carried out, it is important that your will be valid. To create a legally binding will, you must be an adult of […]

What Types of Trusts Are Used in Florida Estate Planning?

Depending on what kind and how many assets you have and what you want to do with them once you are gone, your estate plan can be very simple or extraordinarily complex. In addition to recording your wishes in a will and putting money into joint accounts, you might choose to make use of trusts […]

What Are the Fiduciary Duties of a Florida Trustee?

Trusts are some of the most powerful tools in an estate plan. There are many types of trusts, but typically they work by allowing someone to transfer assets into the trust and then putting those assets to work to care for specific people or further a defined goal. In some ways, a trust functions like […]

Does Florida Require a Reading of the Will After Someone Dies?

We’ve all seen it done in movies and on television often enough that it has become part of our collective consciousness, but does a “reading of the will” ever really take place? Does an attorney really gather every one of the descendant’s relatives and friends from across the globe, bring them into a room full […]

Does Florida Law Allow Parents to Disinherit Their Children?

While many people create a will to ensure that their property passes to their children, not all families wish to do so. Under Florida law, it is possible to prevent a child or anyone else from inheriting property or assets from your estate. Traditionally, people have tried to find creative solutions to make sure that […]

When Is The Right Time to Create or Update Your Estate Plan?

If you do not have a comprehensive estate plan in place, you should consider creating one immediately. The truth is that we never know how long we have left. Even if you create an estate plan decades before you actually need it, you immediately gain the comfort of knowing that your family will be taken […]

The Importance of Having a Will Even if You Have Trusts

Everyone needs a will, regardless of how large or complex their estate is. Whether you are just getting by, or you have a detailed portfolio of real estate and business holdings, a valid and up-to-date will must be part of your estate plan. Many people with sophisticated investments and assets already make use of a […]

New Law Allows Floridians to Choose Who Handles Their Digital Assets After Death

Florida recently enacted a law that will allow families to access the digital assets of a loved one after they die or become incapacitated. This law, known as the Florida Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, will allow a person to designate one or more people — family members, friends or an attorney — to […]

Americans Are Against the Estate Tax, But Do They Understand It?

A recent Gallup poll about tax reform asked Americans a variety of questions about proposed changes to a tax system that many see as outdated. One of the most interesting results came in response to a question about eliminating the estate tax. A full 54 percent of those polled were in favor of eliminating the […]