Florida Estate Planning Lawyers Help Plan Your Family’s Future

Many people in Florida mistakenly believe that estate planning only applies to the very wealthy or seniors. However, most Floridians, especially those with minor children or loved ones with special needs, can benefit from a tailor-made estate plan for their specific legal needs.

As a full-service law firm in Florida, RTRLAW is your one-stop shop for all your legal needs, including helping you set up a proper estate and end-of-life plan for you and your family. An estate plan will help protect your assets during your life and distribute them to your loved ones upon your death. A well-crafted plan also may allow your estate to avoid costly probate in the courts after you die. RTRLAW also assists clients with Elder Law, including Medicaid Planning, and Estate and Trust Administration, including Surcharge Actions.

RTRLAW’s highly knowledgeable estate planning attorneys can evaluate your legal needs to secure your family’s future after you are gone.

If you would like to find out more about how estate planning could benefit you and your family, call or text RTRLAW today toll free at 1-833-447-3787 (1-833-447-3787).

Why Should I Create an Estate Plan?

Many people are uncomfortable talking about what will happen after they pass away and often put off estate planning. However, in many situations when people have failed to have an estate plan in place, their heirs and other beneficiaries have to wait for the lengthy and expensive probate process to conclude before accessing their rightful assets.

Additionally, in some instances when people become incapacitated by illness, dementia, or injury and can no longer make important health care or financial decisions for themselves, other legal issues arise that may end up in court to be settled. Florida has stringent laws about who may make legal, medical and financial decisions for those who can’t make them for themselves. You can avoid legal action by your family or loved ones should you become incapacitated by signing several advance directive documents naming decision-makers you trust.

RTRLAW’s estate planning attorneys can assist clients with creating an estate plan, including a Last Will and Testament (will) or trust, as well as advance directive documents, which can help you plan for the future should you become incapacitated due to a severe injury, illness, or dementia. These essential documents can help your family avoid conflicts after you die, inform your loved ones about your health care wishes if you get sick, and name the people you want to make essential healthcare, financial and legal decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself.

A will or trust puts down in black and white what assets you have and who you want them to go to when you die and who will care for your minor children. Trusts, either revocable or irrevocable, can be set up while you’re alive and help your family avoid the probate process after you die. In addition, a trust and trustee can manage your assets if you become incapacitated or distribute your assets to your heirs after your death.

One of the most important aspects of estate planning is that it allows you to gain peace of mind knowing that your final wishes will be carried out and your family will be well-cared-for in the future. Contact RTRLAW today to find out how our estate planning attorneys can assist you with your needs.

Why is it Important to Set Up Advance Directives in Florida?

Do you know who will make decisions for you if you’re in a serious accident, unconscious, or become incapacitated because of an injury, illness, or dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease? It’s not a given that your spouse, parents, or adult children will be able to make decisions for you.

Perhaps you don’t want your spouse or next of kin to make decisions for you but would choose someone else altogether? In that case, you must sign certain advance directive documents that specify whom you want to make important life or death decisions for you in the event you can’t speak for yourself.

To make sure your choices are spelled out in writing, every adult over age 18 in Florida should have the following five advance directive legal documents:

• Durable Power of Attorney – this document names a person who can make legal or financial decisions for you if you are incapacitated;
• Designation of Healthcare Surrogate – this document names a person who can make medical decisions for you if you are unconscious or mentally or physically unable to make health care decisions;
• Living Will – this document lets your loved ones and doctors/health care facilities know if you want to be kept alive by extraordinary means (or not);
• HIPAA Release – this document lets a trusted family member gain access to your confidential medical records to be able to assist you with your medical care and health care decisions if you are unable to make decisions on your own;
• Designation of Pre-Need Guardian – this document names a legal guardian for you if you are unable to make decisions (if you’re incapacitated) and if your advance directives aren’t sufficient by a Florida court to authorize the person you named to make decisions for you.

Many Floridians are unaware of the legal ramifications that may arise if they do not have advance directives in place. For example, if your 18-year-old college student is in the hospital or unable to communicate his or her wishes and does not have advance directives in place, not only would you (the parents) not have any rights to make decisions for your adult child, but the hospital does not have any obligation to alert you about the child’s condition without these signed documents.

RTRLAW’s experienced estate planning attorneys can evaluate your situation and help create the documents you need to ensure that your family’s health care, financial and legal needs are provided for in the future.

What is Trust and Estate Administration?

Families are often under incredible stress after the death of a loved one and may not know where to turn for help with probating a will or administering a trust. In addition, some estates can be quite complex and time-consuming, not to mention costly, to administer.

RTRLAW represents family members, individuals (fiduciaries), personal representatives (also called executors), beneficiaries of wills, and others connected with probating a will or estate in Florida.

RTRLAW’s experienced estate planning and probate attorneys can explain how the probate process works in the Florida courts and help make the probate process more manageable and less frustrating for you.

How Can I Meet with an RTRLAW Estate Planning Attorney?

RTRLAW realizes you’re busy, and it never seems to be the right time to draw up a will or trust or create a comprehensive estate plan. However, don’t put it off. An estate plan will provide the financial security and peace of mind you need to protect your family’s future.

RTRLAW’s attorneys advise our clients on a wide range of estate planning, and trust and estate administration services. Our attorneys can meet with clients at your convenience, over the phone, via video conference, or at one of our six convenient offices in Florida, including:

• Fort Lauderdale
• Orlando
• Tampa
• Lake Worth
• Miami (by appointment only)
• Jacksonville (by appointment only)

Since 1988, RTRLAW has represented tens of thousands of clients in Florida and helped them get the peace of mind they need by resolving their legal matters.

RTRLAW’s experienced estate planning attorneys can assist clients with creating their wills or trusts and advance directive documents, probate and trust and estate administration on a flat-fee basis. We can also assist you with a number of planning options including planning for long-term care and Medicaid, special needs planning, guardianship proceedings, deeds, and offer informational webinars and educational sessions on estate planning for clients.

For a FREE, no-obligation case review and more information, contact RTRLAW, chat with us now, call or text us 24 hours a day, seven days a week toll free at 1-833-HIRE-TR (1-833-447-3787) or email [email protected].