Author Archives: Jay Butchko
How To Stay Out Of Trouble When Your Children Inherit Money But You Don’t
Everyone worries about money, especially in today’s economy, but there is no stress quite like what the parents of minor children feel when there is only enough money in the family bank account to cover this month’s bills, if there is even that much. Almost every parent dreams of setting up a savings account… Read More »
What Does Your Role As A Grandparent Have To Do With Your Estate Plan?
Most people who turn to chatbots as confidants are below the age of 50, but seniors seem to be embracing AI as a brainstorm buddy and factotum at least as much as the younger generations do. If you are a married woman of a certain age, it probably drives you crazy that your husband… Read More »
Is Condo Ownership The Most Affordable Retirement Housing Option?
You know you are old when you start to daydream about moving to a smaller residence instead of a bigger one. Young people, especially if they are susceptible to consumerist content, dream of buying a mansion, where they can host lavish parties or just sprawl out as much as they want to. If you… Read More »
Does Your Estate Plan Have An Ex-Spouse Problem?
You might think that drafting a will shortly after you got married and every time a child was born to you or you bought a house or inherited property from a deceased relative was a flex. Perhaps you even told your spouse how lucky your spouse was to be married to someone so conscientious… Read More »
Situations Where You Need A Probate Lawyer
A family member listed you in his or her will as personal representative, and the thought of administering the estate in probate court scares you. You have the right to refuse your appointment as personal representative, but if you do this, you will be leaving your deceased family member in the lurch, especially if… Read More »
How Soon After A Family Member’s Death Should You Open The Estate For Probate?
The time it takes for an estate to settle after the decedent’s surviving relatives open the estate in probate court varies. Most people’s estates settle in less than a year, but if there are disputes over debts or over the validity of the will, it can take longer. We have all read news stories… Read More »
Potentially Exempt Transfers
Generosity is its own reward, but it has plenty of other rewards. When someone gives a gift of money or some other item with a large amount of use value or exchange value, the giver gets the feels, and the recipient gets financial relief, at least temporarily. Even though it is tacky to brag… Read More »
Should Seniors Buy Credit Insurance?
Financial advisers will tell you, with a gleam in their eyes, that your expenses will be lower when you retire, and you spend your 50s and early 60s looking forward to all that money sticking around that you no longer have to spend on dry cleaning your work clothes and parking at your place… Read More »
Worst Financial Habits For Retirees
Some people spend their entire working lives complaining about work and looking forward to a time when they will not have to work anymore, when they will be the boss of their own time. They imagine that retirement means freedom. Many of them are in for an unpleasant surprise once they retire. Whereas work… Read More »
Lady Bird Deeds Can Help You Keep The Peace In Your Family
What is the most splendid bird in Florida? Is it the snowy egrets that occasionally walk gracefully across the lawns in retirement communities that are far enough from the main road? Is it one of the birds of the Everglades, the greater blue herons or roseate spoonbills wading among the sawgrass, or the anhinga… Read More »