Blog: Estate Planning

The death of a loved one is a life-changing event filled with emotion and can be traumatic.  Is there anything that can help ease the pain and promote the healing process? Absolutely – proper advance legal planning can make all the difference. Imagine that someone close to you decided to write their own Last Will…

Divorce can take its toll on a person’s physical, emotional, mental and financial well-being. Even after the divorce is final, moving forward and starting anew can seem daunting especially when there are minor children of the marriage. While keeping up the daily routines of preparing the family for school, going to work, team sports and household chores, it is easy…

In the past ten to fifteen years medical technology has changed in leaps and bounds.  The law has not necessarily kept pace with new technological developments.  No clearer example can be found than the inheritance rights of children conceived through in vitro fertilization. More people are conceiving children with medical assistance than ever before, thanks…

Important Figures to Know As You Plan for 2014 Beginning January 1, 2014, several federal agencies will be providing cost of living increases to select government programs and tax related laws. Be sure you have current information before you take steps to qualify for Medicaid or, make gifts and certainly discuss it with your accountant. Here…

Your Beloved Pet Deserves a Pet Trust Recently, more people are including their pets in their estate plan. In 2012 a Tennessee resident died and provided for the future care of his two casts in his Last Will & Testament. He has left $250,000.00 and his home to Frisco and Jake. The monies that remain after…

Ever since the United States economy tanked in 2008, along with the downturn in the Florida real estate market, I’ve observed that a lot of people became frozen by the fear of not having enough money and delayed seeking elder law advice to resolve important legal issues. Many families found themselves in a legal crisis.…

“I’m Not Wealthy – Do I Really Need Legal Documents?” Yes Virginia You Do. Do you feel that you do not have enough assets to justify making a Last Will & Testament, Durable Power of Attorney or Designation of Health Care Surrogate?  You are not alone, and nothing could be further from the truth. Wealth, like beauty, is…

We are hearing that many recently deceased celebrities, like James Gandolfini, didn’t take the time to make a clear and effective estate plan. The unfortunate results are: Expensive litigation Broken families Loss of privacy Here are some simple tips you can follow so that your estate plan does not become the topic of conversation in the…

Consider the sad case of Terri Schiavo, the Pinellas County woman whose parents and husband are bitterly fighting over whether to remove the feeding tube keeping her alive. Schiavo was only 26 when, 13 years ago, her heart stopped for unknown reasons. By the time she was revived, she was so severely brain damaged that…