Category Archives: Orlando Estate Planning Lawyer
The SECURE Act Passed in The Night: What This Means for Your Estate Plan
While everyone was busy with the holidays, legislators effectively passed the SECURE Act’s provisions in the budget bill signed in late December. We have previously discussed the important effects that the legislation will have on stretch IRAs and thus estate planning for non-spouse beneficiaries, however, the changes made via the Consolidated Appropriations Act –… Read More »
The Most Important Mistakes to Avoid When It Comes to Naming Beneficiaries
We’ve previously discussed the importance of beneficiary designations and keeping them updated in order to ensure that certain assets such as your 401(k) and life insurance policies are passed on in accordance with your wishes. Below, we also discuss some of the most common mistakes when it comes to naming beneficiaries and how you… Read More »
Inherited IRA Rules You Should Be Aware Of
If you have inherited an individual retirement account (IRA), it can be very confusing in terms of how your new account or asset is affected by estate, financial and tax planning. Your choices very much depend upon if you are a spouse or non-spouse, who left you the IRA, and whether the original account… Read More »
Florida Hospitals Found Applying for Massive Numbers of Guardianships for Their Patients, seeking to Strip Away Their Rights
On October 21, ABC Action News broke news on an undercover investigation here in Florida involving a number of hospitals in Florida—including Miami, Naples, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and other cities—paying private attorneys to file hundreds of court petitions to place a number of their patients into guardianships. Specifically, the investigation found that hospitals… Read More »
Make Sure That Your Beneficiary Designations Do Not Mess Up Your Estate Plan
Unfortunately, even though beneficiary designations are an important part of estate planning, they are frequently overlooked. And yet, an estate plan is not simply a will and a trust; you have to make sure that your beneficiary designations go along with the rest of your plan, because if they do not, these designations can… Read More »
Estate Planning for The “Modern,” Non-Traditional Family
Given that only approximately 35 percent of today’s families are “traditional,” making the nontraditional family the “norm” when it comes to estate planning, there are a number of things that you may want to do differently when it comes to approaching estate planning if you do not have a traditional family. Below, we describe… Read More »
What Financial Advisors May Not Know to Advise You On for Estate Planning
While financial advisors have been overseeing asset management and estate planning for clients for many years, in recent years, new asset types and laws have made it important for clients to consult estate planning attorneys primarily because international law is changing things at such a rapid pace. In fact, some finance professionals may very… Read More »
How to Carefully Choose Your Trustee(s)
As estate planning attorneys here in Florida, one question that we frequently get is how to select a trustee for your trust, and whether it should be someone who has personal connections to the family or a third-party professional. Below, we discuss some key considerations you will want to take into account in making… Read More »
If Your Child’s Special Needs Trust and Related Estate Planning Is Not Done Properly, It Could Spell Disaster for Your Family
If you are a parent of a disabled child, setting up a special needs trust takes very careful planning and experience from the estate planning legal team setting it up for you. The attorney(s) that you work with should know about all of the various charitable nonprofit programs – as well as local federal… Read More »
What You Absolutely Do & Do Not Need to Take Care of Your Elderly Parents or Other Loved Ones
As attorneys who focus solely on estate planning here in Florida, we regularly receive a number of questions concerning what kinds of plans should be made to care properly for elderly parents and other relatives. The best way to carefully craft a plan based on your particular circumstances is to meet with a professional… Read More »