Brian Williams, until recently, the much-respected anchor of the NBC Nightly  News, is now under fire and criticism for “mis-describing” an incident which did not take place.  Brian Williams claimed that he was in a helicopter which was hit by gunfire while covering the IRAQ war.  But that didn’t happen.  Brian Williams has more in common with heirs to a will contest or probate lawsuit than he realizes.

The beloved Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the 2015 estate and gift tax limits. The federal estate tax exemption has been raised to 5.43 million dollars per person and the gift exemption has stayed at $14,000. These numbers are increasingly important to those that wish to whittle down their estates by making annual gifts to family members.

All to often I am asked by individuals what happens with their out of state property when they die. Maybe you own a vacation home in Colorado to go skiing, maybe you have rental property in New York as an investment – either way property in another state may cause headaches down the road in probate. Avoid these issues with a living trust, here is a quick summary of what they are. Learn more; ask seasoned Florida probate attorneys with experience in trust litigation.

Waiting on your inheritance can get frustrating. It seems like every other day the Personal Representative has another update or document for you to sign but where is the inheritance? Every state is different but here are some things to consider in a Florida estate administration.

Every year the Florida Supreme Court issues an order detailing the need for additional judges in the upcoming fiscal year. Florida’s constitution requires the Supreme Court to determine the States needs and to certify such findings to the Legislature. In other words, although there may be a need for new judges and court support staff, its ultimately up to the State’s Legislature to make the final budget decisions.

A Self-Proving Affidavit attached to your Will or Codicil (an amendment to a Will) could save your2014-07-13 Florida Scenes & Nightime WPB 066.JPG friends and family quite a headache in the future, and even better save them some money. It may sound complicated, but its one additional page to your Will, so before you click away, here are some of the benefits this documents can bring.

People make trusts and liquidate them for a multitude of reasons. Some are to protect against creditors. Others colloquially called “spendthrift trusts” worry about wasteful heirs. Times change though, and sometimes a trust needs to be terminated. Maybe the circumstances has changed, maybe the current set up is inconsistent with the original purpose of the trust, either way at some point the question may arise: how do I terminate this pesky trust?

Wills are something everyone needs but no one likes to talk about. It seems distasteful to discuss and often the silence creates rumors, rumors that can be costly. Get the facts. Did my marriage invalidate a will? Does dying intestate mean everything is given to the State? Here are some of the most common we hear everyday and a quick recap of the actual law in Florida.  

There is a lot on the web about how to protect your assets. In fact the modern age of digital banks and money markets with no brick and mortar locations or paper records, begs a larger question. How do you track down all the assets of a loved one after a poorly planned death? What happens to the lost funds, can anyone help find them?

Have you recently been named as an heir or Personal Representative in a Will?  Was your identity stolen? Did you know they could be related?  In the age of social media, financial records are one of the few things people still prefer to keep private. Most people keep some form of a file under lock and key somewhere: some might leave them with financial advisors, accountants or attorneys; others might keep them in safety deposit boxes. Unsurprisingly, in this age of digital and identity insecurity, upon death, beloved family members named as beneficiaries in a will become susceptible to outsiders’ knowledge of their personal and financial information.