Jill Ginsberg and David Shulman discuss revocable living trusts in Florida.
What are the Rules Regarding Successor Trustees?
Jill Ginsberg and David Shulman discuss what is a successor Trustee and the rules regarding successor trustees.
Beware of non-attorney “living trust” salesman infiltrating the web
While Googling for an old blog post of mine, I stumbled upon which appears to be several fairly aggressive “estate planners” hawking either overpriced “Estate Planning Organizers” or living trusts on the internet to the South Florida community. I put “estate planners” in quotes because these are not attorneys, but might be representatives of a well… Read More
Why did Joe Paterno transfer his house to his wife for a $1?
According to the New York Times, “Joe Paterno transferred full ownership of his house to his wife, Sue, for $1 in July, less than four months before a sexual abuse scandal engulfed his Penn State football program and the university.“ Why would he do that? The short answer is I don’t know. But it is… Read More
Back to Basics: The Four Estate Planning Documents that Everyone Needs
Sometimes, posts on law blaws can get a little bit esoteric. Every now and then I think it’s useful to go back to the beginning, and set forth the documents that comprise a basic estate plan. Every single adult should have these in place, regardless of age, marital status, wealth, and whether or not they… Read More
An In Depth Review of Michael Jackson’s Trust – Part 1
I don’t want people to think that I’m obsessed with Michael Jackson. I’m not. However, I am very interested in proper estate planning, and I think that others should be too. The Michael Jackson case is useful because it can show “ordinary” people what to do and what not to do with regards to their… Read More
From the ABA Journal: Stepkids Sue Lawyer’s Widow Over Alleged $1.4M Trust Investment with Bernard Madoff
One of the most important decisions you can make in preparing your estate planning is who will be the fiduciaries. This includes the personal representative(s) (also known in some places as the executor) of your estate, and the trustee(s) of your trusts. Today, I want to talk about the other side though. Let’s say that… Read More
A “Holographic” Will is ALWAYS invalid in Florida, unless it is properly executed
One thing that makes our country both great and frustrating is that for certain types of law, there are often different, incompatible, conflicting laws that vary by state. On occasion, various committees are formed to draft “Uniform” Codes, but it is still up to the individual state legislatures as to whether or not they should… Read More
States Struggle to Deal with Congress’s Shameful Estate Tax Mess
The Year Without an Estate Tax continues. As I have previously written, due to Congress’s extreme irresponsibility and inability to get anything done at all, the Estate and Generation Skipping taxes are repealed in 2010, but for one year and one year only. Last December, in a post entitled, The Real Danger of the Expiring… Read More
When a Will or Trust is not Enough: Beneficiary Designations
In the past, I have discussed the importance of everyone, single or married, gay or straight, to have either their Will or Revocable Trust properly drafted and executed. The reason for this, of course, is so that you can decide how your property is distributed upon your death and the state doesn’t decide for you… Read More
