Retirement planning often overlaps with estate planning. Your age, how much money you have in your retirement account and they type of retirement you have can all play a part in the amount you will leave to your loved ones when you pass away. A living trust,...
Trust Administration
Is it time to modify your trust?
A trust is one way for a loved one to distribute assets with certain conditions and provisions to be followed that is separate from a will. In many cases, however, there comes a time when provisions of a trust need to be modified. Below are two situations that...
Is your loved one vulnerable to undue influence?
Watching our loved ones age can be difficult. They can gradually go from being completely independent and caring for others to needing support themselves. Once they do need assistance, it can be challenging to comprehend how much help they actually...
Trust administration and relevant income taxes will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
Trust administration and relevant income taxes will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019. Since residents of Florida generally pay no personal income taxes, the outcome of this case is of great importance to our state. The Florida personal income taxation policy...
Create a solid estate plan through use of a trust
One of the main reasons to create a solid estate plan is to make the vision you have for your legacy a reality. A key tool in estate planning is often some form of trust. Assets are accumulated in the instrument, and the subsequent distribution of that wealth occurs...
The investment mandate: The check and balance in trust management
Pensions are largely a thing of the past. 401(k)s and Social Security are now foundational elements of a solid retirement plan. If you are among those in Florida with significant assets, establishing a trust is another legal tool for protecting wealth and maximizing...
Selecting the right trustee for a family trust fund
Trusts have an important role to play in the future financial and estate planning of many people in Florida. A trust fund is one way to set aside and protect a specific group of assets that a person wants to use to support another person. Trust funds can be set up...
How to choose a trustee
Most Florida parents and others in the United States want to leave their children and grandchildren enough to live on. However, different people may have different beliefs when it comes to how much is enough for someone to live on. One way to help future generations...
Duties of the trustee for an ILIT
Taxes can eat up a chunk of an estate before any distribution of assets to beneficiaries. Florida residents looking to ensure their beneficiaries receive all or most of the assets left to them will want to consider the many trust vehicles. These have typically been...
The roles and responsibilities of an estate executor
There are several steps that a Florida resident must take when administering an estate or a trust. First, he or she should order at least 10 copies of a death certificate, which may be done in coordination with a funeral director. If probate is necessary, an...