Estate Planning

As we or our loved ones age the possibility of long-term care is that ever present fear in the back of our minds.  The total upheaval of lives due to long term health matters takes its toll.  A wife struggles to keep her husband at home while watching him deteriorate from Alzheimer’s; a daughter becomes [...]

A Durable Power-of-Attorney (DPOA) is a legal document that allows someone you chose (called an agent or attorney-in-fact) to handle your financial and personal affairs. The “durable” in durable power of attorney is critical because it means that your agent can continue to act on your behalf even if you become incapacitated.  Many people fail [...]

People love their pets and usually think of them as part of their family. But what will happen to your furry or feathered family member if something happens to you? People often believe they will outlive their animal and thus be able to care for them forever, but their illness, accident or sudden death can [...]

What do each of the following situations have in common?   A 73-year-old man suffers a stroke, becomes paralyzed and unable to speak or write. A married couple signs a contract for sale of real estate. Between the date of signing the contract and the date of closing, the wife falls and suffers a brain [...]

It is very common for persons to procrastinate in preparing a Will, Trust, or other estate planning documents. But, have you ever thought about it this way?  If you haven’t prepared your own Will or Trust, you are letting the Florida Legislature decide who will inherit your property.   For those persons who have not [...]

Making a plan for your retirement is an important thing to do.  This includes planning for incapacity and death by having an estate plan (a Will, power of attorney, advance health care directives and a trust is applicable) and also planning for your financial future.  Recently, changes were made that will affect those claiming Social [...]

On October 26th, the Firm’s Elder Law Attorney, Elizabeth P. Allen, put on a free advance healthcare directives clinic at Horizon Bay Lutz, an independent and assisted living facility in Lutz, Florida.  She provided information on living wills and designations of healthcare surrogates, recent changes in the law on designations and she provided those legal [...]

This week is National Estate Planning Awareness Week. It's always a good idea to review your estate plan from time to time. That is especially true if you’ve had life changing events (such as marriage, divorce, birth of children, death of family members, health changes). If you don’t have an estate plan in place, now [...]