Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Cats Are Better As Beneficiaries Of A Trust Than As Beneficiaries Of A Will
Everyone who understands the basics of estate law knows that animals cannot be beneficiaries of a will. Despite this, one often reads news stories about beloved pets that inherited a fortune from their wealthy owners, even if the testator had the wisdom not to say, “My dog Biscuit will inherit 100 percent of my… Read More »
Reality Check: Your Plans To Work Until You Are 70 May Not Pan Out
In today’s economy, an increasing number of employees and gig workers are planning to continue working until they are 70. It isn’t because your Social Security checks are bigger if you wait until you are 70 to start receiving them, but also because they have so little retirement savings that even with the amount… Read More »
Homestead Real Estate Property And Your Florida Estate Plan
It is easy to lose sight of this in Florida, the land of McMansions and ostentatious cribs that one can only afford as a result of a successful reality television career or a hastily approved Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, but when it comes to homeownership, less is more. At some point in your… Read More »
It’s Time For A Will Witnessing Party
Floridians have an extraordinary talent for finding reasons to have a party. If our marriage fell apart, such that we no longer have a wedding anniversary, we celebrate our divorce anniversary; whether or not we invite our ex depends on how acrimonious the divorce was. If a hurricane blows through Florida and we live… Read More »
Buying A Modestly Sized House In Central Florida Might Be More Of A Challenge Than You Think
Every time the temperatures drop below freezing, the folks up north quickly tire of scraping the ice off of their cars in preparation for a slippery commute to work, and they start to daydream about retiring and moving to Florida, so that they can get away from both work and snow. If you are… Read More »
Estate Planning In A Panic Is Better Than Not Estate Planning At All
It’s after midnight, and the house is quiet. Even though every sound your children make when they are awake drives you up the wall, their innocent, expressionless faces and the sound of their deep breaths when they are asleep fill you with calm. At least, they usually do. Tonight, you are acutely aware of… Read More »
Who’s Afraid Of Skilled Nursing Facilities?
You can tell just by a quick exploration of an estate planning law firm’s website that nursing home planning is part of the process. When you are in middle age, and your every moment is taken up by parenting or work, going to a nursing home or assisted living facility seems like something that… Read More »
Toward An Affordable Retirement In Florida
You have probably been hearing that your retirement savings goal should be $1 million by age 65 since before you started receiving mail from the AARP. The chorus of voices that says that $1 million only yields you a meager retirement income, and that you need significantly more than that to retire comfortably, has… Read More »
On The Importance Of Designating Successor Beneficiaries
One way to get started on your estate plan is to convince yourself that you can set it and forget it. You can tell yourself that it only takes a few hours to write a will, but after you invest these few hours, you will save your family a lifetime of heartache. It is… Read More »
Florida’s New Alimony Laws Are A Rude Awakening For Divorced Seniors
Every divorced person should rewrite his or her estate plan, but most of them do not, at least not until a serious health problem or a serious remarriage prospect appears. While it would be lovely to approach your estate plan with an abundance mindset, a lot of people’s motivation to get started on their… Read More »
