Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Coping With Estate Inventory
When people find out that a recently deceased person has named them as personal representative of the estate, or when they try to settle the estate of a family member who died without a will, their biggest worries tend to revolve around disputes over inheritance rights, creditor claims gobbling up a significant portion of… Read More »
Myths And Facts About Hospice Care
Once you get past the daydreams about birdwatching during your daily walks through your neighborhood, your estate planning lawyer will remind you that you also need a plan for the times when you are no longer healthy enough to strut like an egret and perch like an anhinga. You can then dream about assisted… Read More »
Florida Legislators Propose Bill That Would Mitigate Financial Losses Caused By Elder Abuse
A common piece of advice to clients seeking legal services is that they should avoid firms that practice “door law,” meaning that they agree to represent everyone who walks through the door, regardless of the legal matter with which they need help; instead, it is best to choose a lawyer who focuses on cases… Read More »
What If The Nursing Home Where You Planned To Seek Care Is No Longer There When You Need It?
You should be proud if you have not yet reached retirement age but you have already gotten into enough detail with estate planning to start thinking about nursing homes. Nursing home care is not only for wealthy people; you can pay for it out of your own assets or through long-term care insurance, but… Read More »
Simple Strategies To Keep Your House Safe From Medicaid Estate Recovery
Much like the animated statue in the dinner party scene of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Medicaid is an unwelcome guest in probate court, even though you knew it was coming. Medicaid estate recovery is as unpleasant as it sounds; Medicaid tries to get the estate to pay it all the money it spent on the… Read More »
Choosing A Trustee For Your Revocable Trust
There is a reason why revocable trusts are such a popular option, no matter your tax bracket. The assets in a revocable trust are safe from creditors and Medicaid asset recovery. They are also able to bypass probate, which means that the beneficiaries do not need to wait for your estate to settle before… Read More »
Do Business Ownership Interests Go Through Probate When A Business Owner Dies?
Some people love their jobs so much that they never want to retire, and some achieve that goal, continuing to work until they die. Certain professions attract this attitude more than others; no one dreams of being an octogenarian in a cubicle farm. Business owners are among those who aspire to draw their last… Read More »
Enhanced Life Estate Deeds: Generational Wealth For The 99 Percent
Florida is not like everywhere else, and that is why we love it. Florida is the only place in the world that is a natural habitat for an alligator species (the American alligator) and a crocodile species (the American crocodile). The far-fetched ways that Floridians go about achieving their goals has led to a… Read More »
Estate Planning New Year’s Resolution: Disinheriting Ungrateful Family Members
In more innocent times, estate planning lawyers used to encourage people to set the estate planning goal of writing a will. As motivation, they cited ensuring that your family will be provided for after your death and being generous to the people and charities that you care about. Those were the old days. The… Read More »
Estate Planning For Grinches
Some people are grumpy at the holidays because of financial hardship, strained family relationships, or old or new bereavement, but others are grumpy at the holidays simply because holiday grouchiness is baked into their DNA. If you are a dyed in the wool Grinch, then you have been in a bad mood ever since… Read More »
