Showing 1–10 of 84 articles in Estate Planning
Reset filtersEstate Planning•Aug 21, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Life rarely stays stagnant for long. As families grow, careers evolve and financial goals shift, the plans people made years ago may no longer completely reflect their current wishes. Many people create an estate plan and assume the work is finished. However, reviewing those documents after major life events can help ensure they continue to…
Estate Planning•Jul 23, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
A personal representative administers a decedent’s probate estate. Some of their duties include securing, valuing and managing the estate’s assets, communicating with beneficiaries and interested parties, paying debts and taxes, distributing assets to beneficiaries and closing the estate. If you are estate planning, you should name a party who can perform these duties competently. You…
Estate Planning•Jun 1, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Many Florida residents are in “mixed status” marriages where one spouse is a U.S. citizen and the other isn’t. Often, people think that they can’t include their non-citizen spouse as a beneficiary in their estate plan, even though they are here legally – usually as a green card holder. Non-citizen spouses can indeed be included…
Estate Planning•May 20, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Creating an estate plan is something every adult should do sooner rather than later. This is true even if they do not have much to pass on. Once the initial creation of the plan is done, they should set themselves a calendar reminder to review it every couple of years. When a plan is no…
Estate Planning•Apr 30, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Many people procrastinate estate planning, sometimes because they do not understand exactly how important it is. This keeps them from making it a priority. The truth is that there are many potential benefits to estate planning. Additionally, procrastination is a significant gamble because you could pass away without ever putting a plan in place. Below…
Estate Planning•Mar 20, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Lady bird deeds, also known as enhanced life estate deeds, are highly useful but relatively uncommon estate planning tools. They are uncommon in part because only five states currently allow their use. Florida is one of those states. Property owners planning for the future of their residences may benefit from drafting a lady bird deed…
Estate Planning•Feb 6, 2026•By Cynthia I. Waisman
Life has a way of staying busy, and planning for the future often slips to the bottom of the list. Many people assume their loved ones will “just know” what to do if something happens, or that everything will naturally work itself out. Unfortunately, when there is no estate plan in place, the law steps…
Estate Planning•Dec 25, 2025•By Cynthia I. Waisman
An advance health care directive allows you to specify treatment you do or don’t want in the event of a medical emergency. It also allows you to appoint a medical power of attorney to make any decisions you have not covered. It can be reassuring to know you have this in place. Yet, unless you…
Estate Planning•Aug 26, 2025•By Cynthia I. Waisman
It is crucial to understand why estate planning is important. Many people put off making a plan because they do not know how it will help them or their family, so digging into this can help demonstrate why it is something that people should look into and why they need to have a plan in…
Estate Planning•Aug 21, 2025•By Cynthia I. Waisman
If you’re considering Medicaid and want to protect your home from recovery after you pass away, a Lady Bird deed may be a helpful tool. This legal document allows homeowners to transfer property to beneficiaries while still retaining full control during their lifetime. It’s important to understand how this works, especially in Florida, where Medicaid…