Articles Posted in Estate Planning

New movie about financial exploitation of the elderly.

At face value, “tortious interference” occurs when someone interferes with some sort of expectation to a level that prompts judicial involvement. It often occurs in a business context, referred to as “tortious interference of business expectations,” and typically involves a defendant who has interfered with another party’s contract expectations. A…

In Florida a Will does more than you may at first realize. Florida Wills are not just for leaving specific items to specific people. The main function of a Florida will is to provide for the distribution of property owned by you at the time of your death in whatever…

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article this weekend examining the extent to which gift givers can exert control over their heirs once they are dead and gone. The article reveals several things that might surprise you given the scope of control that can be included in the language…

As a Jacksonville Estate Planning and Elder Law Lawyer, not much comes as a surprise anymore, not even the few requests for un-burying the deceased. It may sound like a B rated movie, but the reasoning behind the requests I have received are heartfelt and compelling. One family wanted to…

If you have more than 1 million dollars or 2 million dollars of January 2013, you may find that part of your estate will be subject to an estate tax of 55% and in some states subject to additional estate taxes and or inheritance taxes. (Florida does not have either…

On a regular basis we handle probate cases for families where the decedent tried to make their own will or tried to modify it themselves. Below is an example of a will that was created from a form or copied from someone else. While the will was validly signed as…

The following are a list of some critical issues to consider before you make the big decision to sign a power of attorney: Asset Protection – Nursing home costs in Florida can be outrageously expensive. Make sure that you really feel comfortable authorizing your agent to protect your assets from…

Dear Reader, The American Bar Association is working on the list of the 100 best legal blogs. If you enjoy this estate planning blog, I would appreciate your support by completing a very short form. Thanks for your support, David

We see many problems with how homes are titled. Most are in attempt to avoid probate or make it easier on family members. Unfortunately, many of these cause real problems for family members in the future. Here is one example of something we see regularly. Imagine this: You’re retired, your…