Many people know about guardianships and the important role they can play in making sure our loved ones are taken care of during times of need. These serve to ensure important assets and needs are accounted for while someone is incapacitated or otherwise unable to take care of themselves. What many people don’t know, however, is that Florida has another option that doesn’t require incapacitation to initiate: Read More

Technology is wonderful. We are able to do so many tasks with a few clicks from just about anywhere in the world. These advancements have assisted the world of finance, healthcare, education, and more… but modern technology is not without its pitfalls. At any given moment, you might see four or five advertisements on a single webpage. There are people and companies trying to get into your pocketbook at every corner Read More

There’s little satisfaction in the world like the feeling you get after completing the perfect project on your own. “Do it yourself” (DIY) projects satisfy that itch to get things done – but should you DIY your estate plan? There’s plenty of information on the internet surrounding estate planning (including right here on our blog), but there are simply too many pitfalls to trying to craft a plan without an attorney. Read More

When an estate is exposed to probate, the entire situation can get messy. Families often end up fighting, and the private nature of your hard work can be completely stripped away. The courts will sift through the fine details of an estate plan to ensure everything is in order and executed legally. We’ve previously discussed how trusts generally avoid probate but can still sometimes be exposed. Some individual assets, Read More

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. At Zamora, Hillman & Villavicencio, we think this is a perfect time for us all to support and learn more about our loved ones fighting Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. More than 55 million people have a form of dementia across the world, with 10 million new cases reported every year. When we write off our loved ones with dementia, we’re writing off tens of Read More

The process of executing an estate should be as painless as possible. At the end of the day, the days, weeks, and months following the death of a loved one would ideally be spent remembering and mourning them. However, when a loved one passes away with assets that need to be distributed through the courts, the process can add more stress to the situation. We want to help take some stress off your shoulders and help Read More

Probate court puts unnecessary stress on your estate, your family, and other loved ones. It’s an issue we talked about recently, and the most common advice estate planning attorneys will tell you is to opt for a trust instead of just establishing a will for your estate. It’s important, however, to understand trusts can still be subject to probate in certain circumstances. The deadline to remedy all issues and avoid Read More

Probate can be a stressful time for families. When someone passes away, their estate passes into probate. This normally involves going to a probate court in the state where they lived, in which their remaining property and assets will be divided among their living loved ones. If they left behind an Estate Plan, the judge will typically follow the instructions they made in that. Either way, it can be tough for Read More

If you have an elder loved one in your life, it is important to listen to what they have to say and stay aware of their condition and attitude. Elder exploitation and abuse is one of the most overlooked forms of abuse worldwide. It is common that an elder experiencing abuse may not want to admit their circumstance to a loved one, either. You have to stay alert. Here are the 7 different types of elder exploitation and Read More

The end of the year is a period of rest and reflection. Most people take some time to evaluate how they felt about the last twelve months and what they hope to accomplish in the next year. As you examine your relationships, career, and financial situation, it’s a great time to review something that is determined by all three of those factors: your Estate Plan. An Estate Plan is a legally-binding plan made with an Read More