When a loved one passes away while residing in Florida, the people close to them will wonder what happens to their property and responsibilities. The Florida probate courts will likely oversee the process of distributing their resources to others and settling their...
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Estate Administration
Why doing an inventory of an estate is an essential step
The distribution of personal property may be the most dramatic and gratifying of all the steps in estate administration. You give people who have recently lost someone they loved mementos to help them remember that person. Additionally, you might give out assets that...
3 ways to handle choosing a trustee for your estate trust
Using a trust as part of your estate planning process offers many benefits. It gives you more control over the long-term use of your assets and can even protect you during retirement. Trusts limit tax liability and can even allow your beneficiaries to avoid probate...
How documentation protects you as the executor of an estate
There are dozens of steps necessary to properly manage an estate, and some of them will be repetitive. You will have to contact every creditor and utility company and provide them with documentation. You will have to inventory every physical and financial asset held...
What are the first steps to take during estate administration?
Estate administration can feel like an overwhelming task that might take a year or longer for you as an executor to complete. Instead of viewing the process as an interminable series of responsibilities and stressors, you might benefit from breaking it down into a...
Taxes and estates: What executors need to know
It's a big responsibility to be appointed the executor of a loved one's estate. You have many obligations in your role. One of those is to pay any taxes associated with the deceased or their estate. There are differences between the types of taxes you may need to...
Can you use an oral will in Florida?
An oral will sounds simple. When you approach the end of your life, you’ll call your heirs and have them gather at the nursing home. There, you’ll outline exactly what you want to happen with your estate and who should get which assets. You even like the fact that...
A look at President Trump’s move to Florida
President Trump recently announced a change in his life that many people of a certain age and certain level of wealth make: he said he has moved his permanent residence to Florida.While he tweeted that his lifelong home state of New York “will always have a special...
A year after Aretha’s death, court takes over estate administration
Aretha Franklin died nearly a year ago. Unfortunately for her family, the late singer left behind no will to explain how her substantial assets would be distributed.Many observers correctly predicted at the time that family members would soon be divided over how her...
Can a revocable living trust help to avoid Florida probate?
As regular readers of our Brevard County Legal Blog know, we recently wrote in this space about why a revocable living trust might be right for you and your family. We know from past experience that many people understand that probate can be a long, difficult and...