Protecting
Your Legacy
Florida readers with elderly relatives may be interested to know that financial abuse of elders is on the rise. It is a crime that is under-reported with only an estimated 44 percent of cases being reported to authorities. Since 70 percent of the country's wealth is...
Florida residents may be interested in recent tax law changes that have simplified estate planning for married couples with between $5 million and $10 million in assets. Congress changed the portability rules with regard to estate planning. The change was temporarily...
When planning for the disposition of their estates, people usually account for their homes, art, vehicles, jewelry and other physical items as well as bank accounts set up at brick and mortar locations. However, digital assets such as e-books, songs in digital...
When a Florida parent believes that one or more children deserve a larger stake in his or her estate, they may decide to wait until their death before communicating this information. The parent may showcase what may be considered favoritism in his or her last will and...
Although pop artist Robert Rauschenberg died in 2008 on his exclusive Florida island, some of his closest friends are embroiled in a battle over his money. The three friends were given the duty of administering the man's trust that was part of his $600 million estate....
"Retirement" in the state of Florida and across the country has acquired a whole new meaning, according to financial planning experts. As many as 40 percent of all baby boomers expect to work until they die, according to recently released data from AARP. Nonetheless,...
Although it is probably too late to make changes that will affect the coming tax season, it is not too late for Floridians to take stock of personal finance and estate planning basics. The amount at which the estate and gift tax kicks in did not rise as anticipated...
Today's Florida residents who are thinking about estate planning may overlook one important thing: the Internet. Anyone who has an online presence -- email accounts, web pages or social networking accounts -- should think about what heirs will be dealing with if they...
When a divorce is finalized, the last thing many individuals want to do is deal with more financial and legal issues. However, Florida residents going through a divorce shouldn't close their files as soon as the process is complete. There can be estate planning...
Florida residents with a troubled family member may be unsure of how to work out the details of their estate plan. For instance, if a child or grandchild has a drug addiction, it may not be in their best interest to leave them with a large inheritance. Likewise,...