Florida Probate Litigation: How Many Americans Die Without a Will?

Should I die without a Florida will or Palm Beach trust? Why not? What if I don’t care who will inherit my Delray Beach estate? Why should I spend money on an estate planning lawyer West Palm Beach? Who will inherit my estate if I die without a will? An April 27,2016 Forbes article shares statistics regarding how many people do not have wills. In addition, it reveals celebrities that died without a will, including Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, and Picasso.

Florida Probate Problems

• Most Florida estate planning attorneys or probate lawyers will tell you that dying without a will may not be in your best interest.
• This is because dying without a will leaves everything in the hands of the court and your estate will be dispersed according to the state’s intestacy laws or the probate laws.
• Most people want to designate specific inheritances for specific beneficiaries or heirs.
• However, according to a recent Forbes article, it seems as if many people, including celebrities, don’t take the necessary steps to make this happen.
• Instead, these estates will pass according to the laws of the state the deceased person lived in.
• Florida estate planning attorneys or probate litigators West Palm Beach will tell you that there are some easy things you can do to avoid the problems that are present in rock star Prince’s probate.
• First, you should have a will.
• Having a will, even if it’s a simple will that leaves everything to your revocable trust, is better than having no will.
• Second, you should think about creating a revocable or living trust.
• These trusts can dispose of assets after you are gone, much like a will does.
• They can also protect you and your property if , during your lifetime, you becomeincapacitated or in need of a guardianship.
• In fact, most guardianship attorneys Boca Raton will tell you that you may be able to avoid a Florida guardianship if you have a properly drafted revocable trust.
• Two other things that you should consider having are a durable power of attorney and healthcare documents.
• The healthcare documents should specify who you want to make healthcare decisions for you if you become unable to make them for yourself.

How Many Americans Die Without a Will?

• An April 27,2016 Forbes article states that ,”according to a 2015 Rocket Lawyer survey,64% of Americans don’t have a will.”
• Probate lawyers West Palm Beach could probably guess that more elderly people have wills than younger people.
• The article confirms this.
• In addition, the article says that “of those surveyed without a will, most (60%) indicated they simply haven’t gotten around to making one yet while just over a quarter (27%) don’t feel that it’s urgent.”
• To read the entire article and to find out what celebrities died without a will orintestate, click here.
  

  Want to know more about Florida probate litigation? Consider these free resources:

  • • Read the Florida Courts webpage on the probate process:http://www.flcourts.org/resources-and-services/family-courts/family-law-self-help-information/probate.stml
    • Read the Florida Probate Code:http://www.floridabar.org/tfb/TFBLegalRes.nsf/
    • Read the Florida Probate Rules:https://www.floridabar.org/tfb/TFBLegalRes.nsf/
    • Here are the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar if you are interested in hiring a Florida probate litigation lawyer and want to know more about our ethical rules and our rules of conduct:http://www.floridabar.org/divexe/rrtfb.nsf/WContents?OpenView
    • Here are the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure:http://www.floridabar.org/tfb/TFBLegalRes.nsf/
    • Watch free Florida Trust, Probate & Guardianship videos, which include important topics of Florida estate, guardianship, attorneys fees, & trust law.
    • There is no cost, no sign up, no one will ask you for your email address to see these dozens of free Florida probate videos:http://www.pankauskilawfirm.com/Firm-Overview/FAQS.shtml