In addition to avoiding the fees and stress of probate, an estate plan can ensure that your family is aware of all your assets. If your family does not know about an asset, they cannot probate it, and the asset is lost. Right now, in Florida alone, there is over $1 billion of unclaimed assets. By creating an estate plan, you ensure that your family knows exactly what assets you have, where to find them, and how to access them.

If you die without a will, your assets will be distributed per Florida’s intestacy statute. This statute was created based on what the legislature thinks you likely would’ve wanted, which may not be what you actually want.

Yes, even if you make a will, your family will have to go through the probate process.

We can review your will and ensure it still reflects your wishes and values. Generally, we recommend you update your will approximately every three years. Why? The laws change, your family changes, and your assets change. This is especially important if you’ve since gone through any major life change such as getting married, getting divorced, or expanding your family. By updating your will, you can make sure that it reflects your ever-changing life.

Florida does not recognize handwritten wills, even if it is written in your own handwriting and signed, unless all the necessary formalities are followed. So, while it is possible to make your own will, it is very difficult to ensure compliance with all the necessary formalities, and this could result in the estate passing per the intestacy statutes. It is therefore strongly recommended that you consult an attorney in the process.

If you create a guardianship plan for them, until they are eighteen, they will be taken care of by whoever you choose to nominate as their guardian.

If your children are under 18, a guardian will be appointed to them, and will have the authority to use your assets for the care of your child. Once they turn 18, they will receive their inheritance outright, because minors cannot inherit assets until they reach the age of majority.

This is a common worry among parents. In addition to worrying about misspending, parents may also worry about addiction, severe mental illness, creditors, divorce, and other situations in which the child may be at jeopardy of losing their inheritance.

By making a trust, you avoid the probate process. As opposed to a will, which is public record, the terms of the trust are confidential. You also have the added benefit of having control over your assets once you pass away. Avoiding probate alone is an excellent reason to set up a trust because the probate process is lengthy, expensive, and mandatory. By setting up a trust now, you’re avoiding the later stress and cost your family will have to handle. You likely will also avoid large estate taxes on your estate!

If you create a revocable trust, that is a trust whose terms allow you to make changes during your lifetime, you can make whatever changes you want until the time of your death when it becomes irrevocable and unchangeable.

Create a special needs trust! By ensuring that there is a plan set up for your child, you can avoid potentially jeopardizing any government benefits they may have, and also ensure that they are well taken care of once you pass.

Jointly owned assets don’t pass through probate. While this may seem like a viable alternative, there are still several things to consider. For example, you cannot use your will to override the joint ownership. Additionally, this could potentially leave the door open for unhappy family members to initiate litigation by arguing that the joint-owner was only added out of convenience, and not to be a beneficiary. So, while this may help avoid probate, it can have unintended consequences in the long run.

Even though you’ve expressed these wants, in the event of your incapacity, emotions may run high. Family members may fear that your wishes have changed, or they may disagree on whether they should be followed. By creating a living will, you are unequivocally detailing your wishes, ensuring that your family members will have the right guidance.

Yes! Not only does creating an estate plan ensure that both your biological and stepchildren inherit what you want them to, in the way you want them to, but having step-children can also change the assets your surviving spouse is entitled to once you pass (if you haven’t created a will).

You can actually make a trust for your pet! Just as you would for a biological child, you can ensure that your pet is taken care of by who you want.

We have good news. Although your plan is built from the ground up, we charge on a flat—not hourly—basis for all estate plans. That means you’ll know up front how much it will cost and there will be no surprises!

A will is a document containing instructions for the final disposition of your assets. Once the directions of the will are carried out through the probate process, it’s done. A trust, on the other hand, can last long after you pass away, through generations even! Therefore, it’s extra beneficial for those who want to structure the disposition of their assets over time after their death, rather than pay it all out in one lump sum. Wills are public, trusts are private, wills are probated, trusts are not.

Although they may sound similar in name, living wills and last wills have very different functions. Living wills provide your instructions regarding life support should you become seriously ill or incapacitated. A last will declares the disposition of your assets, among other things, but doesn’t deal with matters that arise before your death.

A trust can only govern the property within it; all other property owned by the deceased will have to be probated. Therefore, it is certainly recommended to create a will even if you have a living trust, that way you can direct how your other assets will be distributed.

A well-designed estate plan is only well-designed if it reflects your needs and wishes. For some, a simple will is a sufficient estate plan. For others, a well-designed estate plan may require the creation of one or more trusts, the additions of business succession planning, consideration of guardians for young children, planning for blended families, or more!

At its core, a trust is a document that explains your wishes regarding whatever assets you want to be governed by the trust. Assets are put into the trust and then managed by someone else, per the rules of the trust, for the benefit of your designated beneficiary.

There are different kinds of Power of Attorney, but in general, a Power of Attorney gives authority for someone else to act on your behalf. It is important to choose someone that you really trust, because they will have the authority to make important decisions for you. For example, you may sign a Power of Attorney to give someone the authority to make financial or medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated. It is impossible to predict if and when you will ever become incapacitated, so creating a Power of Attorney is certainly recommended, but this is especially important if you will be traveling internationally or going into surgery, as a safety measure to ensure that a decisionmaker is appointed should an emergency occur.

First and foremost, the number one thing necessary to prevent your family from contesting your will is to ensure that it is executed with all required formalities. It can also be helpful to explain why you make certain decisions, so that your beneficiaries can understand why you chose this disposition, either in person before you pass or in your will. You can also create a living trust, which also avoids probate of the assets.

If you’re over the age of 18 and own any property, you need an estate plan! The Florida legislature has designated the way your assets will be disposed upon your death. While this is their best guess as to what most people would want, it may not be what you want. Even if you have just one asset, wouldn’t you like a say in what happens to it upon your death?

Generally, if a will is valid in one state, it will be recognized as valid in the new state. However, property laws can vary greatly between states, leading to unintended consequences in your estate plan. It is therefore recommended to update your estate plan per the laws of your new home state.

Medical directives are a document in which you can name a person to have authority to make medical decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated or unable to do so on your own.

If you and your family pass away in the same disaster, the outcome will depend on many factors, including whether or not you have a will and, if you do have a will, what it says—if anything—about simultaneous death. If this is something you’re concerned about, you should discuss it with an attorney, to ensure that you put a plan into place that will reflect your wishes in this scenario.

You can do this with a proper estate plan! There are several factors that determine an inheritance based on your family dynamics, and so the best way to ensure that your child receives the inheritance that you want is to create a plan that directs this to happen in the way you desire.

Death Taxes are taxes on the assets of an individual’s estate or inheritance (or potentially both). These can be levied at the state or federal level. Some states impose this tax, but Florida, for example, does not. However, there is still the federal tax on any assets above the exemption level. The exemption level is subject to change. Thus, it is very important that your plan takes this into account, and that it is changed any time your assets are near the exemption amount.

A fiduciary is someone who you give authority to act on your behalf and are required to act in what would be your best interest.

Because the fiduciary has the authority to act on your behalf, the biggest question you should ask yourself is whether you truly trust this person to competently carry out the duties required of them. You should also consider if they’re organized, responsible, and whether they have the financial knowledge and skill to manage your assets well. You may want to reflect on how they use their own money and handle their own personal affairs to get an idea of how they may handle yours.

Simply put, your estate is everything you own. Your estate will be broken up into smaller categories during the estate planning process and during probate, but right now your estate is simply everything you own.

If your assets surpass the level of the current estate tax exemption—which includes life insurance policies—then without the proper planning, your beneficiaries’ inheritance will indeed be taxed.

Generally, you should update your documents every 2-3 years. However, it is incredibly important to update these documents after any large life event, such as having a baby or getting a divorce, to make sure that your plan is still suitable.

No, these are not valid. Even if you write out your will in your own handwriting and sign it, the will is still invalid, unless it follows all the minute intricacies required by the Florida Statutes.

Yes, this does really happen, and it can have serious consequences for the disposition of the estate. Even if you have a will, the provisions can be overwritten in certain circumstances, such as a child being born after the creation of a will. It is therefore very important that you be honest with your attorney about any and all family members. Otherwise, in addition to the emotional consequences, there can be significant financial consequences.

Spouses have certain rights under Florida law when their spouse passes away. If you are not legally divorced, you are still considered married. Even if you think you’re divorced there may be issues unknown to you that result in the divorce not being finalized. This is something that can be addressed now to prevent many issues in the future.

Temporary guardians are those trusted individuals that are close with your children and can be there quickly in an emergency. If the long-term guardian you appointed for your child is several hours—or states—away it is important to designate someone who has immediate authority to care for your children until the permanent guardian can take custody.

A personal representative is the person who administers your estate when you die. You can appoint this person in your will. If you don’t, then the court will appoint one for you.

Not only should you choose someone responsible who you trust to properly administer your estate, but Florida has certain requirements for personal representatives. If you choose an individual to be your personal representative, they must be a Florida resident or a close relative. They need to be at least 18 years old, mentally and physically able to perform the duties, and cannot be convicted of a felony.

To do this, you will have to open a probate in each state. The state that the deceased did not reside in is called ancillary administration.

ILIT stands for Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. This is helpful in situations where your life insurance would be above the estate tax exemption, as life insurance benefits are subject to the estate tax.

While there are many solutions, a great one is to set up a trust for your child. That way, they can receive smaller distributions over time, the risk of them receiving their inheritance and commingling it in its entirety with their spouse is reduced, and should they get divorced it therefore would not be considered a marital asset.

If you think the will may be fraudulent, it is possible to contest its validity. This can be an expensive and lengthy process that could lead to the Florida intestacy statutes (the distribution scheme the Florida legislature believes you’d want) governing upon the determination that the will is invalid.

A pour-over will provides that, when the settlor of a trust passes away, any assets owned at their death that aren’t already in their trust are to be added to their trust.

You can detail your burial wishes and give authority to an agent to make those arrangements on your behalf in your estate plan. Not only is this a good idea to ensure that your wishes are followed, but it allows you to begin the process. For example, burial plots can be expensive, so purchasing one now and naming it in your estate plan as your final resting place can save money and avoid any worries for your family.

There is no age to begin estate planning—in fact, the sooner the better! You never know when tragedy may strike, and you want to make sure that you have the capacity to make a will. If you put it off too long, it may be too late!

Actually, this may be seen as an act to revoke the entire will. To avoid this, it is best to consult an attorney regarding any amendments you may want to make to your will.

Unless you want to create a trust with specific provisions that follow the rules of the tuition plan, nothing is needed for the tuition plan.

Florida prohibits disinheriting spouses and minor children. However, if you have adult children, or you are unmarried, there are no limitations.