Recent Blog Posts
3 Inherited Assets That Are Worse Than Clutter
If there is anyone who has a reason to declare war on clutter, it is estate planning lawyers. When family members battle it out in probate over money or real estate that each party thinks that they are entitled to, someone gets the inheritance, and the probate lawyers get paid. When it comes to… Read More »
Lady Bird Deeds And Florida Estate Planning Law
If you are financially secure enough to think about your estate plan but not so wealthy that you are part of the one percent, your home is probably the most valuable thing you own. No one wants their family to have to go through an expensive and stressful probate process, so a big part… Read More »
4 Things You Should Ditch When You Retire
If you are planning to retire in the next few years, you may have visited a financial planner, and if you did, the financial planner probably tried to sell you all kinds of financial products. A little voice in your head probably told you that you don’t need any of the things the financial… Read More »
Preparing Your Bedroom For Aging In Place
Downsizing your house for retirement is not for everyone. Some people dream of ditching the McMansion where they raised their children and from which they commuted to toil in corporate America and moving into a tiny house in a senior living community where egrets pass by every morning to feast on worms in the… Read More »
Estate Planning For Newlyweds
According to Yahoo Finance, only 52 percent of adults have a life insurance policy, and only 46 percent have a will. This might be unsurprising, given that few of us have a net worth large enough to fight over in probate. It is more surprising, however, when we consider that the COVID-19 pandemic has… Read More »
For A Stress-Free Retirement, Focus Your Efforts On Debt Repayment Now
Hurricane shutters are expensive. Another cockroach crawled under the door? Not another hole in the patio screen! And don’t even get started talking about the mortgage payments! Home ownership has plenty of hassles, but for the annoyance your house causes you, there are dozens of people who can only wish that they had that… Read More »
Is Reopening An Estate That Has Already Settled Worth The Trouble?
Even uncomplicated probate cases can be stressful when the person for whose estate you were acting as a personal representative settles and the beneficiaries get their inheritance. As long as the estate is open, everyone blames you when creditors surface and claim debts that, once paid, reduce the amount left for you and your… Read More »
How To Ditch Your Parent PLUS Loans Before Retirement
Parent PLUS loans are the enemy of your estate plan. If you are thinking about taking out a Parent PLUS loan to fund your child’s college or postgraduate education, don’t do it. Of course, this advice does not help you if you have already borrowed one and are now responsible for paying it back. … Read More »
Think Twice Before Merging Your Finances With Your Children
The market is flooded with advice books about caring for your children during their first years of life, but the advice industry is frustratingly silent about the best ways to have a healthy relationship with your children when they are adults. Books, websites, and podcasts bombard you with information about the best ways to… Read More »
Beware Of Known And Reasonably Ascertainable Creditors
The fun part of estate planning is daydreaming about enjoying retirement and about being generous to your descendants. In fact, you might even spend your first few sessions with an estate planning lawyer focusing on your dreams of your golden years and of creating generational wealth. Eventually, though, you will need to confront your… Read More »