Estate Planning

August 16, 2011

The New Florida Power of Attorney Act

The Florida law governing powers of attorney and similar instruments is found in Chapter 709 of the Florida Statutes. The Florida legislature on May 4, 2011 voted to pass Senate Bill 670 which significantly revised Chapter 709.

A. Generally

A power of attorney is a writing that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal. Pursuant to the Act, a principal is an individual who grants authority to an agent and an agent is the person granted authority by the principal in a power of attorney. The Act allows for both durable and nondurable powers of attorney. A durable power of attorney is one that is not terminated by the incapacity of the principal, whereas a nondurable power of attorney is terminated upon the principal’s incapacity. For a power of attorney to be durable, it must state that it is not terminated by the subsequent incapacity of the principal, or similar words that evidence the principal’s intent.

The Act applies to all powers of attorney created by an individual except a proxy or other delegation to exercise voting or management rights with respect to an entity, a power created on a form prescribed by a governmental agency or subdivision for a governmental purpose, and a power coupled with an interest (e.g., a power given to a creditor to sell pledged collateral.
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August 16, 2011

What is the Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid in Florida?

by David M. Goldman

They sound similar. Unfortunately many people do not understand the differences between the two. Most people think Medicare will “care” for them forever but, that is simply not the case.

While Medicare and Medicaid sound similar, they are very different government programs. Medicare provides healthcare benefits for the over 65, blind, and disabled; while Medicaid provides medical benefits for the impoverished.

Medicare is a basically public health insurance for those age 65 and older. Medicare does not pay for long-term care! It will cover some rehabilitation and this is often confused with long-term care.. If a senior citizen has Medicare and is hospitalized for a stay of at least three days, and is then admitted into a skilled nursing facility, Medicare may pay – for a while. But once those Medicare benefits hit 100 consecutive days or the patient stops improving the coverage is over.

August 14, 2011

What is an IPUG Trust?

by David M. Goldman

While most people feel they have to be super rich to use Asset Protection trusts an IPUG™ Trust is a Self-Settled Asset Protection Trust for that makes sense for regular people and offers Medicaid compliance that works in all states. It protects client assets from creditors, predators and nursing homes, while permitting the grantor to be trustee and have customized access.

The iPug™ Trust was created by utilizing universal, fundamental trust and common law principles dating back to the statute of uses and are not reliant or dependent upon state or federal specific asset protection laws. “In essence, the iPug™ Trust is an Irrevocable Grantor Trust for income and estate tax purposes.

Why is this important to most Americans? The IPUG™ Trust not only provides advantageous tax benefits but it also provides asset protection. Most Irrevocable trusts do not provide the beneficiaries with a full step-up in basis and allow the grantor to control the funds.

August 10, 2011

New Parents Make Plans to have Wills Prepared

by Patricia Davis

Even Clark Howard agrees that new parents should take the time to consult with an attorney to have their Will prepared. A Florida Will allows you to choose who you want to take care of and raise your children, should anything ever happen to both you and your spouse at the same time. It only takes minutes to consult with a Jacksonville Will Attorney, and having your Will prepared is easy and affordable. A Will affords you the peace of mind to know that it will be your decision and not the State of Florida’s decision who would be the appropriate person to become the legal guardian of your children.

A Will allows you to direct how your children will be cared for financially, not only during their childhood, but in their adult life as well.

You also assign a Personal Representative (Executor) in your Will. This person will ensure that your wishes as outlined in your Will are carried out.

July 28, 2011

DAP Trust: Dealing with your Digital / Online Rights and Propert Correctly.

by David M. Goldman

Today there is a big hole in most estate plans. Most estate plans do not deal with the property and licence rights that almost all Americans have accumulated with their online lives.

What online assets should be concerned with?

Email Accounts – Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Comcast, AOL …

July 28, 2011

Reason 7 to Make a Florida Estate Plan

by David M. Goldman

Everyone seemed to like our last one (Reason 10)so much we decided to post another of our Reasons to Make a Florida Estate Plan. Please let us know what you think of this one, and if you are the new wife, we apologize

July 27, 2011

Don’t Die Without Securing Your Estate Planning Documents

by Patricia Davis

Florida residents be advised, not only is it important to consult with a Neptune Beach Estate Planning Attorney about having your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney and other legal documents prepared, but you must make your beneficiaries and heirs aware that they exist.

Keeping your important legal, real estate, motor vehicle, insurance and financial papers in an organized fashion and storing them where they can be found is crucial. Keeping your original Will secure and accessible is the first step. A Will allows you to decide which of your family members or friends will inherit your assets. If you have minor children, you designate a guardian for your kids, in case of your demise.

Wills are subject to the Probate process, which is a court supervised proceeding in which a personal representative is appointed, an inventory of your property is prepared, your debts and taxes are paid, and finally your assets are distributed to those beneficiaries named in your Will.

July 25, 2011

Other Jacksonville Estate Planning Lawyer Blogs and related Sites

by David M. Goldman

Over the past several years the Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC has expanded into several additional practice areas. As these practice areas grown we have been adding staff and creating more informational blogs to help consumers and our clients understand some of the common legal issues. May of our current readers do not realize that we cover these additional practice areas so I wanted to take a moment to update you with them:

For those of you who use an iPhone, we are trying to make some of the information and resources available through our new

Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC iPhone Application.

July 23, 2011

Using an ILIT For Your Life Insurance Policy in Florida

by David M. Goldman

To hedge our bet against dying and to financially protect our families in the event death happens, we generally have a life insurance policy. This policy becomes part of our estate and can help our family with after death expenses such as funeral costs. You may already have a life insurance policy or need to get one. In either case, switching your current life insurance policy to a Florida Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT), or setting the life insurance policy up in the name of the ILIT, can be done by hiring the services of a Florida Trust lawyer to prepare a Florida Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust.

When you pass away and have a Florida life insurance policy, the insurance payment is deemed to be included in the insurer’s (the person who is now deceased) estate. By passing to your heirs under your estate, the insurance payment can be subject to federal and state estate tax, which can be about 40% for the portion which is in excess of the Federal Estate Tax figures. The following example assumes that the entire amount of the policy was subject to the Federal Estate Taxes. So if you have a $5,000,000 life insurance policy, your heirs receive the payment after taxes, which, in this case, would be $3,000,000 ($2,000,000 in estate taxes).

However, this does not have to be the case. If you were to set up a Florida Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust the amount of the policy would not be included in your estate, and you would not have Federal Estate Taxes which could save you more than $2,000,000 based on a $5,000,0000 insurance policy. Talking to a Florida Trust lawyer or Jacksonville Estate Planning attorney will allow you to see if your estate or life insurance is subject to estate taxes or might be subject to them in 2012 after the current exemptions expire.

July 15, 2011

Foreigners Using U.S. Gift Tax Exemption to Their Benefit

by David M. Goldman

In a recent online edition of Private Wealth, Beth Tractenberg and Kathryn Von Matthiessen discuss the nexus between people from a foreign nation living in the U.S. and the current Gift Tax exemption. The authors first break down the difference between foreigners Domiciled in the U.S. versus those that are not domiciled here (Non-Doms). U.S. courts have a factoring system when it comes to determining whether a person is domiciled in the U.S. If it is determined that a foreigner is domiciled in the U.S., U.S. gift taxes generally apply to that person. Previously, there was a $1 million cap on the amount a person could gift during his or her lifetime. This new reform ups that amount to a $5 million exemption for each person, therefore giving a couple a $10 million exemption. Also, it is VERY IMPORTANT to note that this exemption will only be in effect until the end of 2012. There is also a real possibility that Congress could end this extra exemption early so it is important not to wait to long if a significant give is something you are considering as part of your Florida Estate Planning

There are three types of people this blog is meant to inform: U.S. citizens, Domiciled foreigners, and Non-Domiciled foreigners. U.S. citizens can take advantage of the laws of their nation. However, it is the non-resident Domiciled and Non-Domiciled person who may not know their wealth can be protected from U.S. taxes in that the new exemption applies to them. If you do not know whether you are a Domiciled or Non-Domiciled foreigner, you should contact a Jacksonville Estate Planning attorney so they he or she can guide you to make a sound decision on keeping the money you have worked hard to earn before the exemption end at the end of 2012.