Probate & Probate Avoidance
When an individual dies in Florida or while owning real property in Florida, probate is the procedure used to transfer his or her assets to the proper heirs. Some assets […]
Category Archives: Estate Planning
Guardianship For Minors
One of the most important benefits to parents in estate planning is it allows them to name who their children would go to if they were to pass away. Who […]
Guardianship And Guardianship Avoidance
With proper planning, guardianship for adults is, for the most part, avoidable. The purpose of guardianship is to allow a third person to act on behalf of an individual that […]
Advance Directives
Advance Directives are documents that allow you to name others to exercise your rights if you are ever temporarily or permanently disabled or incapacitated. They allow you to remain in […]
The Immediacy of Life
As a wills and trusts attorney, I feel a strong obligation to keep my conversations lite. The topics of my practice are such that the conversations are necessarily serious, so […]
Congress Makes 5 Million Dollar Estate Tax Exemption Permanent
Congress worked through the Holidays to avert the looming fiscal cliff. The result was the American Taxpayer Relief Act (“ATRA” for short). The impact on Estate & Gift Taxes was […]
Estate Tax Exemption To Drop To 1 Mil At End Of Year
As Yogi Berra once said, “it’s déjà vu all over again.” Just like the end of 2010, the tax relief act is due to sunset at the end of this […]
Top 5 Reasons To Not Plan Your Estate
An unofficial tribute to David Letterman’s top 10 lists, and my feeble attempt at humor. Top 5 Reasons To Not Plan Your Estate 3% of everything I own sounds like […]
New Law for Florida Powers of Attorney
The Florida Statutes regarding Powers of Attorney were amended as of October of last year. While Powers of Attorney executed prior to this change remain in effect, there is a concern about […]
Gift Tax Alive In 2010
The estate tax may have been repealed in 2010, but the gift tax is still in full effect. The gift tax works in conjunction with the estate tax to limit […]
How to Double Your Estate Tax Exemption in 2011
In 2011, the Estate Tax is due to return with a 1 million dollar exemption (unified credit) and top tax rate of 55%. Without planning, this exemption is the same […]
Does Life Insurance Really Pass Tax Free?
As with most legal questions, the answer is maybe. Life insurance does pass income tax free, but it is still subject to estate tax. “But the estate tax has been […]
Estate Planning For Your Pet
In 2002 Florida enacted a provision that trusts could be created for the care of a pet. It has since been amended with the adoption of the Unified Trust Code, […]
What Happens to Out of State Real Property When Someone Dies?
For most property, the state in which you reside has jurisdiction over that property, and it will be administered according to the laws of that state. However, real property falls […]
Don’t Let Your Life Insurance Be Taxed
2011 Is Just Around the Corner 2011 seems like a long way away. Heck, 2008 isn’t even two months old. But if you’re looking at it from an estate tax […]