Recent Blog Posts
What’s New With The Annual Gift Tax Exclusion?
Once your children grow past the stage where getting a remote control car for Christmas is the pinnacle of excitement, it is best to adopt a “no gifts this year” policy. The kind of car your kids can get excited about at this stage is one for which liability insurance alone is expensive enough,… Read More »
The “Hope For The Best But Prepare For The Worst” Estate Plan
A relentless optimist would say that the most beautiful thing about being an adult and a parent is that there is always so much work to be done that you don’t have time to get upset about things that don’t really matter. You haven’t logged into Facebook since before the birth of your first… Read More »
Altruistic Reasons To Set Up A Trust
When the 99 percent hear about trust funds, they tend to think about rich people spending lots of money on frivolous things and not paying taxes on any of it, but they’re just jealous. You don’t have to be especially wealthy to set up a trust. You just have to plan carefully. People use… Read More »
In Florida, Seniors Are Safe From Winter’s Seasonal Hazards
The idea of Florida as a great place to spend your golden years is not a new one. Before South Beach was full of ostentatious partygoers, it was full of retirees. If you watch old episodes of Miami Vice, you will see that a disproportionate number of the extras are elderly; these were the… Read More »
Establishing A Trust When The Beneficiary Is A Minor
Trusts are a popular estate planning tool, and not just for wealthy people. By placing assets in a trust, you can keep them from being part of your estate that goes through probate; therefore, the beneficiaries can inherit them more quickly and more easily. You can even set up a living trust with yourself… Read More »
What Happens To Debts That Other People Owe You
As stressful as it is when you owe debts that you cannot pay, it is just as stressful when other people do not pay you the money that they owe you. This is true in the case of debts you incurred and money you lent on your own behalf, and it is also true… Read More »
True Or False: The Early Bird Gets The Estate
Technically, you don’t have to go through probate after a family member dies. Even if the decedent was a stickler for punctuality, he or she is not there to complain about you being late in administering the estate. Some families open a deceased family member’s estate for probate years after the decedent’s death. It… Read More »
Retirement For Debtors
If you take a personal finance class in high school, your teacher will probably tell you that paying for purchases in cash should be your default option; you should only borrow money in order to build your credit, a credit card to qualify you for a car loan, and a car loan to qualify… Read More »
Depositions In Florida Probate Cases
In the best-case scenario, probate is simple. The beneficiaries of the will and the personal representative of the estate already know what the will says. The personal representative can easily locate the beneficiaries and creditors. No one responds to the public notices that the law requires the personal representative to publish when the estate… Read More »
Can You And Your Spouse Write A Joint Will?
If you are in the mood for some negativity but do not want to end up doom scrolling through endless think pieces that offer terrifying predictions about the future, Google the name of a movie where a love relationship is the main theme or a major subplot. You are sure to find an essay… Read More »