It is becoming more common not only to continuously acquire debt over a lifetime, but to be in the position where you know your debt will outlive you. While many have envisioned leaving significant assets for loved ones, more people now have debts they may not be able...
Estate Administration
Is a handwritten will valid in Florida?
If you make out your last will and testament in your own handwriting, will a Florida court accept it? It depends. After all, in times past all wills were handwritten, if not always by the person making the will. Whether or not the probate court would accept a...
Estate Administration begins with appointing the right personal representative
Estate administration begins with appointing the right personal representative. Remember this when you consider your Last Will and Testament. Along with creating a valid estate plan, naming a trusted personal representative is critical to ensuring your wishes are...
Estate administration can have tax implications even with reforms
Estate administration and tax implications from recent tax reforms are extremely important matters. Now that the end-of-year holidays are behind us tax season is in full swing. As you may know, 2018 is the first year in which the full effects of recent tax reforms...
What’s ancillary probate and do I need to care?
Florida is a very popular place, attracting visitors from all over the U.S. and the world. Many of those visitors purchase real estate in one form or another, allowing them to take advantage of the temperate climate in Florida when the weather at home is too harsh to...
How to choose the right executor for an estate
An important step for a person in Florida who is creating an estate plan is to appoint the right executor. Some people may think of an executor largely as a ceremonial position, analogous to appointing a child's godparents. However, an executor is actually a position...
Some duties of an executor
Florida residents who have been named as executor under a will may wonder what their duties are when the testator dies. As fiduciaries for the beneficiaries and the testator's estate, they must locate, value and secure all assets. This process will vary. Some assets...
The responsibilities of an estate executor
A Florida resident who has been named as the executor of someone's last will and testament has a lot of responsibilities to fulfill. The executor must ensure that the testator's creditors are all paid off and the remaining property in the estate is correctly...
The duties of an executor
When Florida residents are appointed the executor under a will, this does not mean that they can do anything they want with the testator's assets. In fact, they a number of duties that they are required by law to perform. In one situation, a person's sister was named...
Important considerations for executors – II
In a recent post, we began discussing how even though being named the personal representative -- or executor -- of a family member or friend's estate may initially seem like a great honor, the novelty can rapidly wear off as the weeks, months and even years...