Estate Planning

Wills in a Box (or online) and the Problems they Pose in Florida probate
I have been working on a probate for a small parcel of land. The decedent evidently found a form for a simple Will (and I do mean simple) and filled in the blanks. This will would be typically found in your local office supply store or perhaps a book store with built in corporate [...

This week: Keep the simple simple
Brad Shorr publishes a great writing blog, Word Sell. Something he said today got me thinking:It takes an extraordinary person to take something simple and keep it simple, let alone take something complicated and make it simple...

How to avoid probate in Minnesota
Avoiding probate sounds like a great idea, so why doesn’t everyone structure their affairs to avoid probate?  Well before we jump in to that topic we need to define probate.  Probate is the legal proceeding through which assets will be transferred in accordance with a will or intestacy laws...

Cost of Florida Probate
Florida Probate costs very based upon they type of probate, type of assets, number of creditors, number of beneficiaries and complexity of the issues involved. Generally a simple Florida Probate which only involves a homestead is around $1500-$1800 dollars and can take 30 to 90 days on average to complete...

Podcast #1 Notes
Podcast #1 is up and running -- see below. Here's the plan with respect to future podcasts: #2: Wills #3: Living Trusts #4: Health Directives #5: The Estate Tax #6: Simple Gifting #7: Not-so-simple Gifting #8: Probate Basics #9: Trust Administration #10: Probate and Trust Litigation I'm new to this, so comments are much appreciated...

The Truth About Probate
The (Claimed) Advantages of Probate These are the purported advantages to probate: The court protects the heirs and beneficiaries. Probate cuts off the claims of creditors after a specific period of time The transfer of title is a public record...