Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog
If you or a member of your family was to have a crisis are you prepared? That is the question you should ask your Florida Estate Planning Lawyer or Attorney on a regular basis. Often we only look at significant events in our lives and do not consider the effects that a significant effect in our parents or children’s lives will have upon us.
When you review your Florida Estate Plan you should also review or remind your parents and adult children to review their plans also. There are changes in the laws which may prompt updates to your estate planning techniques. In addition, significant changes in your life including births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and changes in assets should trigger an estate plan review.
Generally when an Florida Estate Planning Attorney creates Florida Estate Planning Documents their duty is over once the documents are prepared. The obligation is up to you to seek a regular review of these documents.
In addition to reviewing the documents you should consider the following:
1) Make sure you know where your parents documents are, and you tell your personal representative and beneficiaries know where the documents are. If you are concerned that the documents may disappear, you may keep them with an attorney. If you keep your documents with a Jacksonville Florida Estate Planning Lawyerr or Jacksonville Florida Probate Lawyer you should tell people who has them.
2)Check to see that the Florida Estate Planning documents are complete and reflect their current family and financial situation.
3)Make sure that the documents reflect your or your parents current mind set. Wills and trusts need to be reviewed for changes in their financial condition as well as the beneficiaries family and financial condition.
4) Make sure all Estate Planning Documents are signed and witnessed as necessary under the current statutes or those in place at the time of execution.
5)Make sure any Florida Durable Power of Attorney documents mention the current Florida Statutes, many durable power of attorney documents are not honored when they do not comply with the Florida Statutes.
6) Make sure your Florida Living Trust or Florida Revocable Trust or any Florida Trusts are funded. That means that the bank accounts, CD accounts, land, and other assets have been transferred to the trusts. Any deeds to this effect should be properly recorded.
If are not funded they will provide none of the expected benefits upon the death of the grantor.
If you have a Florida Durable Power of Attorney and would it reviewed free of charge by a Jacksonville Florida Estate Planning Lawyer use the contact form on this page.