Do I really care if the property ends up in Probate?
The answer is YES!!! If someone passes away without taking any steps to ensure their property passes to their loved ones outside of court, their property will need to be probated. This means that someone has to open a court case and ask a judge to distribute the property (or sell it in the estate). […]
Should You Add Your Minor to The Title of Your Property?
One of the questions I am asked the most is about adding children to title, and almost always, my answer is a resounding NO. In Florida, adding a minor to the title of your property can have legal and financial implications that you should carefully consider and understand the implications of doing so. While it […]
How to Obtain a Death Certificate
Your relative has passed away and your probate attorney has asked you for an original Death Certificate. Where do you get that? Do you have to go to downtown? Travel to Jacksonville? Pay someone to do this for you? This may be one of the most overwhelming moments in your life and something relatively […]
Can we sell the property in Probate??
I’m constantly in shock with how much bad advice there is out there and how many attorneys are practicing probate without knowing even the simplest of rules. Take this case I took over about a year ago… Names and identities have been changed to protect the *innocent*. A son and daughter lost their father. Let’s […]
Homestead and Life Estates… Now What?
In Florida, homestead property is subject to special rules regarding distribution at death. If a person who owns homestead property dies, their surviving spouse may be entitled to a life estate in the property, depending on the circumstances. Under Florida law, if a person who owns homestead property dies and is survived by a spouse, […]
Elective Share… What do I get??
In Florida, a surviving spouse has the right to elect to take a portion of the deceased spouse’s homestead property as a tenancy in common with the deceased spouse’s children, instead of taking a life estate in the entire property. There are so many statutes on this (Check them out HERE) so I’ll try to […]
Planning Your Own Funeral (ew, we know, but ya gotta do it!)
Everything You Need to Know About Planning Your Own Funeral Words and Resources Collaborated with Sara Bailey at thewidow.net. While death is a natural and inevitable part of life, most people don’t like thinking about their mortality. As a result, families are often unprepared to make post-death decisions and can have a tough time […]
Who gets the kid? Timesharing in Florida
Child custody (now referred to as “time-sharing”) in Florida refers to the legal arrangements made for the care and control of minor children following a divorce or separation. In Florida, there are two main types of custody: time-sharing and parental responsibility. Time-Sharing refers to where the child will physically reside. In Florida, a child can […]
Securing Your Financial Future Without Social Security or Medicare
With the future of Social Security and Medicare uncertain, it’s more important than ever to take steps to secure your financial health. Fortunately, there are several reliable strategies you can use to maximize your savings goals and secure your financial future without relying on government programs. In this blog post, James Hall with www.SeniorCareFitness.com discusses […]
How Long Does Probate Take?
In some cases, the probate process in Florida can take as little as six months, but that is not the typical case. It usually takes anywhere from half a year to eighteen months, and complicated cases may take as long as two years or more. However, having an idea of how long a case may […]