The general rule in estate planning is that if something is not in writing it usually will not be legally valid. For instance, Florida law requires a Will or trust must be in writing to be effective. However, one question we often receive is if a promise to create a…
Florida Trust Code & the Florida Long Arm Statute There are many estate planning benefits for creating a revocable or irrevocable trust in Florida. Trusts can help our Jacksonville clients avoid probate, efficiently manage assets, save money on estate taxes, and protect assets. A person can create a trust in…
I have recently become acquainted with a bank who does business very different than traditional banks. As we do Trust funding for many of our estate planning, elder law, and asset protection packages, we have the opportunity to interact with many banks around the area. One of the recent banks…
Remarriage Protection Many lawyers proclaim to have remarriage protection in their estate planning documents, but few estate plans deal with these issues completely. A traditional trust that deals with remarriage will include language that permits or limits the surviving spouse rights to benefit in the event of future marriage. While…
Like many deaths, the death of the legendary pop star Prince came as a shock and surprise for the world. What shocked estate planning attorneys even more so is the possibility that Prince may have died without a will or an estate plan, which could have huge ramifications for his…
Trust Funding Trust funding is one of the most important aspects of an estate plan or asset protection plan. Attorneys, and clients, hear so much about trust funding, but rarely is it truly understood or implemented properly. Given how important trust funding is, it is a wonder why most estate…
Sandwich Generation “The Sandwich Generation” is an interesting phenomenon occurring in the estate planning world. The term was coined to refer to the group of adults in the world today that must juggle the responsibilities of caring for their own families, including children, along with the responsibility of caring for…
Incentive trusts are important to consider with estate planning. One of the best tools in estate planning for encouraging positive behavior is through an “incentive trust.” An Incentive trust is a trust like any other, which rewards the beneficiaries when they meet certain objectives or goals in their lives. Many…
I just finished my new book Protect your IRA : Avoid the 5 Common Mistakes! Here is the Table of Contents The 3 Reasons Most People Experience Confusion with Their IRAs Don’t Just Focus on the Taxes Avoid the 5 Common Mistakes Common Mistake #1: Trying to Avoid Income Taxes…
Florida Homestead for Non U.S. Citizens is possible for two types of Florida Homestead exemptions. The first homestead exemption is tax based. If you live in your home and you or your spouse or dependent child is a permanent resident of the state of Florida on January 1s you are…