A trustee has important duties overseeing assets within a trust. Tasks include paying taxes, following the trust’s terms and providing regular distributions to beneficiaries. However, sometimes, a trustee may neglect those and other duties, placing his or her...
Complex Legal Challenges
Estate Planning
What are the benefits of estate planning?
It’s very important to plan for your future. If you want to make sure your Florida estate is taken care of and your assets get passed down to those you want to get them, you should start estate planning now. You should know about the benefits you can get from doing...
When does a Durable Power of Attorney go into effect in Florida?
A Durable Power of Attorney (“DPOA”) is a written legal instrument signed by one person, known as a principal, appointing another person, known as an agent, to act on the principal’s behalf. Most such DPOAs enumerate specific powers which the agent may exercise. For...
Where your business fits in an estate plan
Entrepreneurs in Florida must plan their personal estates to account for their public businesses. Different industries have different laws, but the business itself or its assets can be protected in your estate. Your wishes regarding who leads your business and how...
The important traits needed in an executor
Now that you have rolled up your sleeves in preparing to create an estate plan, you need to strategize and make crucial decisions. Among them is naming an executor – the person who will settle your estate, work with attorneys during probate, pay any outstanding bills...
Why should singles think about estate planning?
Estate planning requires deliberate work to make things less complicated for relatives and beneficiaries. A single person with no children might not think estate planning is necessary. Likely, that's because the person doesn't understand the complete picture of estate...
Is a Person Serving as Agent Under a Durable Power of Attorney Entitled to Compensation?
A Durable Power of Attorney (“DPOA”) is a legal instrument in which a principal can designate a person as agent to act for the principal. Most DPOAs give the agent a “laundry list” of powers covering a wide-range of financial, legal, and personal matters. These could...
Preparing for incapacity
Proper estate planning is a must for Florida families. The worst-case scenario is that a family member becomes incapacitated, without the legal structure in place for their family to make decisions and handle their affairs. Then, the family may end up struggling to...
Why You Need a Living Trust
Many times people come into our office and tell us that they’ve read that they need a Living Trust (also known as a Revocable Trust). Sometimes they heard it through a friend or in something they've read. However, they often don't have a clear grasp of why they need...
Joint tenancy and avoiding probate
Many individuals, especially married couples, possess assets such as real estate and securities as JWROS, or "joint tenants with right of survivorship." When it comes to estate planning, the JWROS arrangement dictates that if one spouse passes away, the other spouse...