Celebrities are just as likely to make the same estate planning mistakes as people who are less famous. In April, reports surfaced in Florida media that Prince did not have a will when he died suddenly. This was also true in the death of singer Amy Winehouse. As a...
Month: April 2016
Why a DIY will might be a mistake
People in Florida who need to make an estate plan might be considering a do-it-yourself will. However, there are some drawbacks to making a will without legal assistance. No two estates are the same, and generic advice may not be appropriate for a person's situation....
Takata air bag inflator recall may widen
On April 13, the U.S. government announced that if Takata cannot prove that the 85 million air bag inflators it manufactured that remain in vehicles are safe, they will all need to be recalled. More than 28 million have already been recalled. Some areas, including...
When people want to leave their children different percentages
In some Florida families, an aging parent will have a strained relationship with one child and a close relationship with another child. The parent may want to leave a larger percentage of his or her estate to the child with whom he or she is closer and a lesser amount...
Preventing distracted driving in Florida
April has been designated Distracted Driving Awareness Month by the National Safety Council in an effort to highlight how dangerous inattentiveness may be. These days, it is possible to make calls, update social media accounts and send emails while driving to work or...
Independent executors may help with estate planning
Parents who want to leave property behind to care for their children after they die could benefit from setting explicit terms for how their estates ought to be distributed. Although some parents want to keep these affairs in the family, siblings in Florida and other...
The use of trusts in retirement planning
Florida residents often wish to leave as much as they can to their loved ones, and investing retirement funds prudently could play an important role in achieving this goal. Trusts have always been useful investment and estate planning tools, but a 2003 change to the...