5 Times When You Need to Update Your Estate Plan

Your Estate Plan reflects your life, so there is no surprise that it may change often. Estate Planning is the process of working with a lawyer to create a legally-binding plan for what will happen to your estate (your property and belongings) and your assets (your remaining money and funds) after you pass away. Since your Estate Plan is personalized to all of your own situations, it will change right alongside those Read More

How To Pick the Best Guardian For Your Child in Florida

One of the most important and most often overlooked aspects of Estate Planning is selecting a guardian for your children. Estate Planning is the process of deciding what will happen to your belongings (your estate) and your money (your assets) after you pass away. Most people think of Estate Planning as simply writing a Will, but there is much more to the equation than that. If you are raising children who have not Read More

The Advantages of Using a Trust

When it comes to Estate Planning, most people settle for just making a Last Will and Testament. While often overlooked, making a Trust is also extremely beneficial. Trusts can be used to protect your assets and help assist your family down the line. Trusts do not replace Wills, but they can be a better option for passing along money for many families. A Trust is a fund that allows a third-party to hold on to money in Read More

4 Reasons to Make an Estate Plan

While most people might know what an Estate Plan is, they probably don’t know why they should have one in place. An Estate Plan is a formal written document for what will happen to your belongings (your estate) and your money (your assets) after you pass away. They are most well known in the form of Wills, but Estate Plans can also include Trusts and less conventional methods. Estate Plans are essential for everyone, Read More

Reasons to Contest a Will

Dealing with a loved one passing away is always a difficult time. It can become especially complicated when discovering that you were not included in their Will. This may come as a shock to you, especially if you were close to them or singularly excluded among your family. You do have the option to contest the Will, where you fight to be included among your loved ones’ estate in court. This option is not cheap or Read More

5 Tips for Aging Gracefully

Another year older. The New Year is a perfect time for reflection and rest, to look at where you’ve been and where you want to go next. In popular culture, we can be taught that getting old means being out of touch and uncool. In reality, getting older just means more opportunities to grow into your very best self. It is time to embrace aging and own the strength of the time that you have lived on the Earth.  Getting Read More

The Usefulness of Life Insurance Trusts

You might know about the benefits of including trusts in your estate planning strategy. When you establish a trust and transfer ownership of certain assets to the trust, you have devised a way to protect your assets from estate taxes and probate court upon your death. There are many types of trusts, but this blog will focus on what’s known as an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT), sometimes referred to as simply Read More

What is Undue Influence in the Context of Estate Planning?

There are several grounds upon which you, or another interested party, can contest the validity of an estate planning document such as a last will and testament, trust, or beneficiary designation. One of the most common reasons for a will being challenged in court is due to allegations of undue influence on the testator (person writing the will). This blog will explore this important topic that sometimes results in Read More

An Overview of Advance Health Care Directives

It can be difficult to know where exactly to start with your estate plan. You probably have heard about the importance of wills and trusts, but have you considered making an advance health care directive? This document lays out the medical care you wish – and don’t wish – to receive when you are incapacitated and cannot communicate your wishes. We will explore this document and expand on its purpose in this Read More

What to do If a Family Member is being Financially Exploited

Our elderly loved ones deserve to age and live out their golden years in peace and contentment. However, there are always unsavory individuals looking to con vulnerable people out of their money. With the large elderly population in Florida, there are quite a few opportunities for bad actors in the state to drain seniors of their financial resources. This blog will provide a general overview of financial exploitation Read More