In Florida when a someone dies family members will need to compile a list of important information to deal with the estate. These documents will include what the deceased person owned, a list of their creditors and the amount of money owed at the time of death. To help get you started, here is a list of documents that need to be located:
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.
Because many people move to Florida when they retire, it can make it harder to find family members who have not remained close with their relatives. Section 733.816 of the Florida Statutes is discusses what is to be done when an heir cannot be found. The Florida Statute provides that an attorney has to expend a reasonable effort in order to find the “missing heir,” and also that notice must be given to the “missing heir.”
The funds are then held by the court for 10 years. A “missing heir” must have a court hearing if he or she is claiming a right to those funds. It is probably best that a “missing heir” be represented by a Jacksonville Florida Probate Litigation attorney who knows the proper documents to file with the court.
If you think you may be a “missing heir” or if you are currently involved with an estate or probate matter in Florida that cannot find an heir, you should contract a Jacksonville Probate attorney that can evaluate your circumstances and determine. You can contact a Florida Probate lawyer online or by calling 904-685-1200.
A recent Florida appellate court decision, 2010 WL 4226204, came to the conclusion that if a trust only has a piece of real property as its sole asset and the trust documents provide an intent that the trust give 5% of its annual principal disbursements to the beneficiary, no monies needs to be paid to the beneficiary. However, as a substitute, the court ordered this trust to pay 5% of the interest in the principal asset to the beneficiary. The court ruled that this would be an “equivalent transfer of interest.”
What this may mean to you: If you find yourself as the beneficiary of a trust where the sole asset is a house or some other type of real property and you are expecting a disbursement from the trust, you may be entitled to a substitute payment in an interest in the house. On the other hand, if you are a trustee of a trust with no money to make disbursements, you may still have some options depending on the language of the trust. In either case, you should contact a Jacksonville Florida Trust lawyer who can look over the facts of your particular situation, and let you know the possible legal avenues you can pursue. Or, if you are further down the road leading to litigation, you can contact a Florida Trust Litigation attorney who can represent you in court.
In Florida a spouse can elect to take 30% of the decedent’s elective estate. But what was not answered is what portion of the estate is that 30% applied to? The 5th District Court of Appeal of Florida has answered this question in the case of Paredes v. McLucas .
For example, if you are the spouse of the decedent, your Florida Probate Lawyer should go through the decedent’s records to find any claims that he may have had against him or her, and make a total. Next, there should be a total of mortgages, liens, and other similar devices. The claims and mortgages will be added together, then subtracted from the total amount of assets in the decedent’s estate. The elective share of 30% applies to only this amount. While this may seem simple there are many assets which are not included in a Florida Elective Share Calculation.
Doing the research is a technical and difficult process, especially in the wake of grieving over the deceased. You could contact a Jacksonville Probate lawyer to determine the exact figure, and the option you as the decedent’s spouse can take after that point.
If you are a married person in the State of Florida and have not created a Florida Will or Florida Revocable Trust you should fully understand what will happen to your assets when you die.
Previously in Florida, if a husband or wife passed away with only children belonging to the surviving spouse, the surviving spouse would receive the first $60,000 of the decedents probate estate, while the rest was split equally between the surviving spouse and the children or their heirs.
Governor Scott signed the Florida Law on June 21st. The new Florida Law gives everything to the surveying spouse (where one has passed away without a will and is survived only by a spouse and children of that marriage).
Jacksonville Florida loves its dogs, and this is no truer than at the Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC where on Friday’s, it’s bring your dog to work day. At the Law Firm, we always wag, we bark, and when necessary we bite. As Florida Estate Planning and Florida Probate Attorneys, we know the importance of creating legal documents to provide for your loved ones after you are gone. But what happens to your 4 legged best friends when you are gone? Who looks out for their best interest?
The Florida Statutes allow for the creation of a trust for the care of your pets. A Pet Trust will enable you to designate a certain amount of funds for the support and maintenance of your pets. You can also choose the person(s) who will be able to utilize the funds you have established for the continued care of your animals. You may also include a provision pertaining to the care and support of your pet(s) in your Last Will and Testament.
At the Law Office of David M. Goldman, we not only help you provide for your future with estate planning, but we care about you and your family today. Whether you need to initiate a guardianship proceeding over an elderly loved one or disabled adult, or whether you need criminal law defense for someone who has barked upon the wrong tree, or perhaps you are contemplating Bankruptcy, the Jacksonville Lawyers at the Law Firm will be happy to consult with you, will strongly (bark) advocate for you, and finally, will fight for your cause with all the bite that is needed.
If you have a Retirement Account in the State of Florida, a recently enacted law will provide your heirs stronger asset protection in Florida.
An individual Retirement Account is a form of retirement savings that provides tax benefits to the owner of the account. The account is primarily used as a means of saving for retirement. When the owner of an Individual Retirement Account dies, the account may be transferred to a named beneficiary. When transferred, it is known as an inherited Individual Retirement Account.
Generally, Florida law provides for protection of various assets from creditors, which protection extends to bankruptcy proceedings. Under the old Florida law, a regular Individual Retirement Account was exempt from creditor claims, but an inherited Individual Retirement Account was not.
When a parent has died in Florida without a will, they have died intestate. Under the Florida intestate succession statutes, an adopted person is considered to be the descendant of the adopting parent and is considered the natural family of all members of the adopting parent’s family. The adopted person is not a descendant of his or her natural parents, nor is he or she “kindred” of any member of the natural parent’s family or any prior adoptive parent’s family.
The confusion as to whom an adopted person can inherit from stems from the several scenarios in which that person may be adopted. A child may be put up for adoption after their natural parents have terminated their parental rights. A child may be adopted by his or her natural parent’s spouse (who married the natural parent after the death of the other natural parent). A child may be adopted by a close relative after the death of both natural parents.
Each scenario has different implications as to how an adopted child is treated as far as his or her inheritance rights. It is best to consult with a Probate Attorney who can assist you in understanding your legal rights when your adopted or natural parent has passed away.
Probate comes from the root word “to prove”. When someone in Florida has passed away leaving assets in his or her name only, a probate proceeding must be initiated. The first step is “proving” to the St. Johns Probate Judge that the Will you are presenting to him or her is the valid Will of the person who has died.
The goals of the Florida Probate process is:
1. To gather and inventory all the estate assets;
Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog