Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Providing For Animals In Your Estate Plan
Disinheriting the people in your life is exhilarating. Once you realize that you have a legal right to write your children out of your will, you can take delight in how much money will be left for someone more deserving. But who? You and your siblings have never seen eye to eye, and your… Read More »
What Can You Do With A Trust?
In some ways, all trusts are alike. Much like a business, a trust has its own tax ID number, and its property legally belongs to it instead of to you; in this regard, it is similar to a business entity. The person who sets up the trust, funds it, and gives instructions about how… Read More »
How Does Long-Term Care Work?
No one’s estate plan is complete without a plan for long-term care. After you have written a will and gotten a realistic picture of what your income and expenses will be during retirement, it is time to think about long-term care. Some of your long-term care plans depend on personal preference and your family… Read More »
What Happens If The Probate Court Asks You To Give A Deposition?
In probate as in other legal matters, the courts are not supposed to make arbitrary or hasty decisions. The rules of civil procedure require that both parties, with the representation of their lawyers, have time to prepare their arguments and present evidence to support them. In emergency situations where judges must make quick decisions,… Read More »
How To Deal If You Are The Personal Representative Of An Insolvent Estate
High prices and the economy seem to be here to stay. Millennials probably will never be able to afford to retire, which means that some of them will be living paycheck to paycheck when they die. Therefore, insolvent estates are likely to become more and more common as the last generation to own substantial… Read More »
If You’re Old Enough To Plan A Vacation, You’re Old Enough For An Estate Plan
Summer fun can be had in Florida at any time of the year, but most of the time Floridians are too busy to enjoy it. You spend 51 weeks out of the year stuck in Florida’s horrendous traffic, commuting from one of your gig economy jobs to another or shuttling your children to and… Read More »
Why Would You Want Someone Else To Be The Owner Of Your Life Insurance Policy?
Young people often buy life insurance policies with modest payout amounts. Uttering the words, “I don’t want to be worth more dead than I am alive” is often the first symptom of a mid-life crisis. For people who have yet to receive friendly greetings by mail from the AARP, life insurance policies are tied… Read More »
Mutual Will Agreements In Florida
You and your spouse have been married for decades, and you do everything together. Both spouses’ names are on your bank account, and you own your house as tenants by the entirety. You children never give much thought to which cousins are on Mom’s side of the family and which are on Dad’s side. … Read More »
Who Should Act As Personal Representative Of Your Estate?
Even if you do not own anything that anyone would want to inherit, you still need to write a will. At minimum, your will should include instructions about the final disposition of your remains, meaning whether you want your body to be buried or cremated and where you want the final resting place of… Read More »
Florida Law Criminalizes Financial Abuse Of The Elderly
Florida’s reputation as a destination for retirees precedes it, but it is merely a stereotype that all of the seniors in Florida can afford to live in posh condominiums in Aventura and to board a cruise ship headed for even warmer locales every time the temperature in Florida dips below 65 degrees. Elderly people… Read More »
