By now, it is impossible to not know of the terrible housing market within the state of Florida with all the news of foreclosure and the like. There are many people that are in a are underwater in terms of home values. However, there are also some people taking advantage…
REASONS TO HAVE YOUR FLORIDA WILL PREPARED: IT’S YOUR WAY: You decide who inherits from you. If you die without a Florida Will the Florida’s intestacy statute directs how your property and assets are divided and distributed. Florida intestacy laws DO NOT provide for non-family members. Unless you draft a…
In a recent online edition of Private Wealth, Beth Tractenberg and Kathryn Von Matthiessen discuss the nexus between people from a foreign nation living in the U.S. and the current Gift Tax exemption. The authors first break down the difference between foreigners Domiciled in the U.S. versus those that are…
As Floridians we know that Jacksonville summers seem to blend into the Florida Fall. Before you know it, school registration will be upon us, sports physical exams, and signing up for health insurance. As the non-legal parent of a minor child, don’t wait until the school year begins to obtain…
Though statistics are scarce, there are somewhere between 1.6 to 3.2 million gay men and women who are 65 or older. Many of them live in Florida, which also happens to be home of the first federally-funded elder care center with an LGBT program. Planning for end of life care…
A Florida guardian is a surrogate decision-maker appointed by the court to make personal and/or financial decisions for a minor-child or for an adult with mental and/or physical disabilities. After the court has found that a person requires a Florida Guardian, they are referred to as a “ward.” Florida Statutes…
As a Jacksonville Guardian Attorney, I am often asked about the details in establishing a Guardianships in Jacksonville Florida. If a Pre-Need guardian has been selected by the Ward, the court will look to their eligibility first before looking at others. A Florida Pre-Need Guardian is a person who has…
Because many people move to Florida when they retire, it can make it harder to find family members who have not remained close with their relatives. Section 733.816 of the Florida Statutes is discusses what is to be done when an heir cannot be found. The Florida Statute provides that…
A recent Florida appellate court decision, 2010 WL 4226204, came to the conclusion that if a trust only has a piece of real property as its sole asset and the trust documents provide an intent that the trust give 5% of its annual principal disbursements to the beneficiary, no monies…
According to the United States Census Bureau, the state of Florida has the highest Population Change and Net Migration of any other state, from the years 1975-2000. As is common knowledge, the baby-boomer generation is growing into retirement age, which increases the likelihood of periods of disability. There are two…