According to an article in the New York Times, lesbians make about 6% more money than heterosexual women when factors like race, education, profession, location, and number of children are accounted for. One theory is that “straight” women expect to end up with a husband or partner who will be…
St. Augustine trustors establish a Florida Trust may have numerous objectives in mind. Trust assets can benefit several beneficiaries; a trust may help you avoid the probate process by funding the trust during your lifetime; and Florida trust funds can be managed by professionals. Professional management of the trust is…
The bonus days come thanks to Emancipation Day, a little-known Washington, D.C., holiday that celebrates the freeing of slaves in the district. Emancipation Day falls on Sat., April 16, but it is observed in D.C. on Fri., April 15. That prompted the IRS to extend the tax filing deadline to…
Recently the 3rd DCA in the Florida case of Lorenzo v. Medina ruled that the anti-lapse statute must be strictly construed and that gifts to in-laws are not saved and lapse unlike a gift to a close family member. This means a gift to a sister-in-law who predeceases the testator…
Florida pet lovers are part of the estimated 71.4 million households that have at least one pet. according to an article published in the Chicago Sun-Times. Jacksonville animal lovers spend lots of time and money caring for their pets, but what happens to these beloved creatures when their owner passes…
If you live in Ponte Vedra and die before you have made your Florida Will, you have died “intestate”. What this means is that your intentions as to who will inherit what from you, and who will be appointed Personal Representative of your estate is now determined by the state…
Prepare your Will! It’s easy, it’s affordable and it doesn’t involve giving up anything sweet. We are all guilty of procrastinating when it comes to having our Florida Will prepared, make this a priority for 2011. Once you make the decision, you will be able to rest assured that when…
The Tulsa Estate Planning Blog reported that The 2010 Tax Relief Act creates a unique opportunity to make gifts through December 31, 2010 that are not subject to the generation-skipping transfer tax. This is because, under the new law, the tax rate is zero for any generation-skipping transfer made in…
A Florida Probate Attorney was suspended from practicing law by the Florida Supreme Court. The attorney was said to be causing great public harm by a pattern of “obtaining fees, controlling assets, enforcing individuals to ‘pay him’ before he would resign as trustee of several trusts”. The attorney has also…
Florida Gun Trusts are not the same as a standard Revocable or Living Trust. We are getting more and more so called Gun Trusts that have been prepared by lawyers in Florida and other states that are nothing more than a traditional revocable trust with a few definitions thrown in…