As the name implies, a trustee occupies a position of implicit trust. Someone has given the trustee authority over the financial and legal decisions for substantial assets, potentially including real estate and investment accounts or an entire personal estate. Sadly, not everyone who assumes the role of trustee will be able to live up to […]
Melbourne Legal Blog
The death of a loved one can be a challenging time. There are a lot of emotions involved, with different friends and family members coping in different ways. But this can be particularly true if anyone has questions about the decedent’s wishes or intent. Trusts are supposed to help surviving loved ones navigate this tough […]
Trusts are big business in Florida, and they help businesses to keep going. Trusts include a broad range of legal and financial instruments that put people or parties in charge of assets on someone else’s behalf. One of their most popular uses is passing on property without having to include it in a last will […]
If you’re dealing with the estate of a loved one who was a resident of Florida when they died, you may find some of our state’s probate laws confusing. Don’t worry — you’re not alone. You may have heard that smaller Florida estates can qualify for something called “summary administration.” This is a simplified probate […]
It’s common for questions to be raised regarding the mental capacity of a decedent after they have passed away. These questions are often raised because the beneficiaries of the estate are surprised about the wishes that their loved one has expressed in their will or trust. Mental incapacity and undue influence often go hand in […]
Death is the ultimate mystery, and philosophers have spent thousands of years ruminating on where the experience may take us. But there are several questions that have to be answered about death in our world that take more practical forms. One of the questions that interests the others around us is how we leave our […]
Trusts are a great way to avoid a lot of trouble with bequests while giving the highest possible value to children, relatives and charitable organizations. Smart people often use the estate planning process to move past simple wills and put assets and properties in trust. Still, you need to remember that trusts are complicated financial […]
The process of estate planning can be confusing, but it is certainly no worse than the difficulties faced in probate and trust litigation. If a will or trust document is not clear or executed properly, possible inheritors and benefactors may not know to what they are entitled. This experience is playing out after the death […]
Trusts are often recognized as one of the best ways to convey property or money to someone as part of an estate plan. The reasons to create a trust extend from saving on possible taxes to seeing that a lifetime wish is enacted during a person’s life. Another form of trust involves purchases made on […]
Individuals set up trusts for a variety of reasons. Some do it to protect a loved one’s eligibility for government benefits. Others do so to keep their assets from being overtaxed. Some do it so they can more easily transfer property to their heirs without it passing through probate. It’s the role of the trustee […]
