My Blogs

ESTATE PLANNING-WHY DO YOU NEED IT? Today I received a troubling phone call and was inspired to share it so that maybe other situations like this can be prevented. A young woman in her twenties called and said her mother ...

ESTATE PLANNING AND TRUSTS-HOW CAN I PREVENT PROBATE COURT INVOLVEMENT? As a probate, trust, and estate planning attorney, I get many calls relating to these matters. Some of them are troubling as the situation could have been prevented with proper ...

HOW IS ESTATE PLANNING AFFECTED BY DIVORCE? A divorce causes radical changes in a person’s life both personally and financially. In most cases, all beneficiary designations must be changed. For example, bank accounts, insurance policies, life insurance, retirement investments, and ...

WHAT DO HURRICANES AND ESTATE PLANNING HAVE IN COMMON? Hurricane Irma blew through our state causing mass destruction and power outages throughout the state of Florida. Many people are left suffering even though Irma is gone and new hurricanes are ...

HOW CAN I LEAVE A LEGACY THAT MAKES ME PROUD? I attended another great funeral today. The man was 90 and lived a long life. He came from modest means and created a successful family office with many prosperous divisions. ...

What are the fees for estate planning? Are green card residents treated the same as citizens for death tax purposes? How is this different than the tax treatment of foreigners? Do I avoid probate with an unfunded trust? Estate planning ...