Estate Planning

Assisting Families in Planning for the Future

I provide estate planning services focused on asset management, incapacity planning, and the orderly transfer of property. My work includes revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and living will declarations—all tailored to help clients protect their interests and plan for the future. I also assist with estate planning strategies designed to minimize complexity and promote family harmony.

Estate Planning Services

  • A well-designed estate plan does more than just transfer assets—it also ensures that your property is properly managed and distributed according to your wishes, both during life and after death. Our Asset Management and Disposition Services help you achieve that goal.

    Through the planning process, we help clients:

    • Organize and coordinate ownership of assets to align with their estate plan.

    • Retitle assets as needed to trusts or with appropriate transfer-on-death or payable-on-death designations.

    • Prepare supporting documents (such as Lady Bird Deeds, Personal Property Memorandums, and beneficiary designations) to ensure smooth asset transition.

    • Provide guidance for successor trustees and personal representatives on how to manage and distribute assets after death.

    Many of these steps are supported through the Master Estate Planning Package, which includes the foundational documents described in the next section. These documents, when properly implemented, help avoid probate where possible and provide clear, practical guidance for those managing your estate.

    Our goal is to ensure your assets are organized and your wishes can be carried out efficiently—providing peace of mind for both you and your loved ones.

  • A complete estate plan should protect not only what happens after your death, but also what happens if you become unable to manage your own affairs during life. Our Incapacity Planning Services are designed to ensure that trusted individuals can act on your behalf if needed—avoiding costly court intervention and minimizing disruption for your family.

    As part of this process, we help clients:

    • Prepare and update critical incapacity documents, including a Florida Durable Power of Attorney, Designation of Health Care Surrogate, Living Will, and HIPAA Authorization.

    • Coordinate these documents with the overall estate plan, so that legal, financial, and medical matters are covered seamlessly.

    • Provide guidance to your chosen agents so they understand their roles and responsibilities when the time comes to act.

    • Structure your plan to avoid court-supervised guardianship wherever possible, giving you and your family more control and flexibility.

    Incapacity planning is a core component of our Master Estate Planning Package, which includes many of the essential documents referenced in the next section. This planning gives your loved ones the authority they need to help you—without delays, confusion, or unnecessary legal hurdles.

  • If you have minor children, a thoughtful estate plan should do more than transfer property—it should ensure that trusted individuals are empowered to care for your children and make important decisions if you are unable to do so.

    Our Minor Children & Family Protection Planning includes:

    • Guardianship nominations for who would care for your children if you pass away or become incapacitated.

    • Pre-Need Designation of Guardian (as permitted under Florida law), to help avoid unnecessary court delays or conflicts.

    • Designation of Health Care Surrogate for Minors, so someone you trust can make medical decisions for your child if needed.

    • Family-specific instructions to provide guidance about your preferences for care, education, and values.

    This type of planning is an important part of the Master Estate Planning Package for parents and guardians. It gives you peace of mind and provides clear guidance for your family if the unexpected occurs.

  • One of the most overlooked aspects of estate planning is making sure your beneficiary designations (on retirement accounts, life insurance, bank accounts, and more) align with your overall plan. We review your designations to help ensure:

    • They are consistent with your will or trust.

    • They do not unintentionally cause probate or tax issues.

    • They avoid creating unequal or unintended results across your plan.

    This service helps your documents and beneficiary forms work together as a coordinated whole.

  • Florida homestead laws provide powerful protections and tax benefits—but also impose specific restrictions on how your primary residence can be transferred. We help clients:

    • Understand how homestead laws affect their estate plan.

    • Structure deeds and trust terms to preserve benefits and avoid conflicts.

    • Coordinate homestead property with Lady Bird Deeds or trusts as appropriate.

    This guidance is essential to avoid common pitfalls that can frustrate well-intended plans.

  • For clients using a trust, proper “funding” is what makes the trust work. We provide guidance and practical support to help you:

    • Retitle real estate and key assets to the trust where appropriate.

    • Coordinate financial accounts and policies with your trust or overall plan.

    • Identify what should and should not go into the trust.

    Without proper funding, even the best-drafted trust won’t avoid probate—this service ensures your plan is fully implemented.

  • If you are part of a blended family or entering a second marriage, careful estate planning is essential to ensure that your intentions are clear and that both your current spouse and your children (from this or a prior relationship) are properly protected.

    Our Blended Family & Second Marriage Planning includes:

    • Tailored distribution planning to balance the interests of your spouse and children, and to avoid unintended disinheritance.

    • Customized trust structures that allow for ongoing support of a surviving spouse while preserving assets for your chosen beneficiaries.

    • Clear designation of fiduciaries (trustees, personal representatives, health care surrogates) to avoid family disputes.

    • Review of beneficiary designations to ensure consistency with your overall estate plan and prevent accidental overrides.

    This type of planning helps avoid common pitfalls that arise in blended family situations and ensures that your estate plan reflects your wishes and family dynamics.

FAQs


  • A Lady Bird Deed—also known as an enhanced life estate deed—is arguably the single most effective estate planning tool available to Florida homeowners. It allows you to transfer your home automatically to a chosen beneficiary when you pass away, without probate, while keeping full control of the property during your lifetime.  Here’s why it’s so powerful:

    • You retain full ownership and control. You can sell, refinance, or change the beneficiary at any time without their permission.

    • The property passes automatically upon death. It doesn’t go through probate, which saves time, money, and court involvement.

    • It preserves homestead and tax benefits. Your exemptions, portability, and Save Our Homes cap remain intact.

    For many people, recording a Lady Bird Deed is the single most impactful step they can take to ensure their home transfers smoothly and privately at death—without creating unintended problems during life.  It’s also a low-cost, high-benefit solution when a full trust isn’t necessary. We prepare Lady Bird Deeds routinely for clients who want to avoid probate without overcomplicating their plan.

    If you own a home in Florida, this is often the first place to start. Let us help you determine if it’s the right fit for your situation.


  • The biggest difference is how each document works during your lifetime and after your death:

    • A Will only takes effect when you die. It names who gets your property, who’s in charge, and can nominate guardians for minor children. But a Will doesn’t avoid probate—the court still has to supervise the process, and your assets won’t be distributed until probate is complete.

    • A Trust takes effect immediately and can be used to manage your assets while you’re alive, if you become incapacitated, and after your death—without going through probate. A revocable trust (sometimes called a “living trust”) gives you full control during your life but allows your successor trustee to step in when needed.

    Trusts also allow for more privacy, better planning for incapacity, and more control over how and when your beneficiaries receive their inheritance.  That said, not everyone needs a trust. If you’re concerned about probate, have out-of-state property, want to plan for incapacity, or prefer a more private and flexible structure, a trust may be the better choice.

    We help clients decide which approach makes sense based on their goals—not just based on what other people are doing.


  • In almost every case, no—adding your child to the deed is more likely to create problems than solve them.  Here’s why it’s usually a bad idea:

    • Loss of Control: Once your child is on the deed, you can’t sell, refinance, or make changes to the property without their written consent—even if they’re cooperative now, that can change over time.

    • Creditor Risk: If your child is ever sued, goes through a divorce, or files bankruptcy, their share of the home could be exposed to creditors or divided in court.

    • Tax Consequences: Adding someone to the deed is treated as a gift of a partial interest in the property, which can create capital gains issues later. If your child inherits the property instead, they’ll likely receive a stepped-up tax basis—which can significantly reduce or eliminate capital gains when they sell.

    • Minors and Legal Capacity: If your child is a minor, adding them to the deed is especially problematic. Minors can’t legally convey or sign binding real estate documents, which creates complications if you ever want to sell or refinance. It could even require a court-appointed guardian just to complete a transaction.

    There are far better ways to leave your home to your child—such as using a Lady Bird Deed or a revocable trust—that avoid probate while preserving full control and reducing risk.  Before making any changes to your deed, speak with an attorney. Fixing title mistakes after the fact can be costly and sometimes impossible to unwind.


  • Even if your estate plan was carefully prepared in another state, it’s smart to have it reviewed—and in many cases, revised—when you move to Florida.  While Florida generally honors out-of-state documents, they don’t always hold up well in practice. Financial institutions, hospitals, and other third parties often hesitate to accept unfamiliar forms, and some provisions may conflict with Florida-specific laws like our homestead rules or elective share rights.  Here’s what we look at when reviewing your out-of-state plan:

    • Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives: These are among the most commonly rejected out-of-state forms. Florida has its own execution requirements and preferred statutory formats. We draft updated versions that are robust, broadly accepted, and designed to minimize resistance from banks, hospitals, and service providers.

    • Wills and Trusts: We’ll review your current documents for compliance with Florida law and make recommendations based on how well your plan fits the state’s homestead protections, spousal rights, and probate procedures. Even if the documents are legally enforceable, we often suggest updating them for clarity, efficiency, and better long-term administration.

    • Homestead and Real Property Planning: Florida’s homestead protections are unique—and powerful. But they also come with restrictions that your current plan may not account for. If your will or trust doesn’t handle Florida homestead properly, it can lead to costly delays or unintended results.

    We also include additional documents that many firms don’t—even in Florida:

    • Digital asset authorizations to ensure your designated agents can legally access and manage online accounts.

    • Preneed guardian declarations for yourself, in case of incapacity.

    • Health care surrogate forms for minor children, so someone can legally make medical decisions for your kids if you’re unavailable.

    We don’t just update your plan—we reframe it to work the way you intended, within the framework of Florida law. If you’ve recently relocated, we’ll review your current documents and help you decide whether targeted revisions or full replacements make the most sense. Either way, your plan will be built to hold up here.


  • If you pass away without a will or trust, Florida law treats your estate as intestate, meaning it will be distributed according to the state’s intestacy statutes. This is handled through a court-supervised process called probate—the same legal process used when someone has a will, but without any personal instructions to guide it.

    Here’s how it works:

    • A personal representative (executor) will be appointed by the court to manage the estate.

    • Your debts and expenses will be paid from estate assets.

    • The remainder of your property will be distributed under Florida’s statutory order of priority which generally aligns with how most people would designate.

    Florida’s order of distribution for an intestate estate generally follows this sequence:

    • If you have a surviving spouse and no descendants: 100% to your spouse.

    • If you have a surviving spouse and descendants (all shared with that spouse): 100% to your spouse.

    • If you have a surviving spouse and descendants from a prior relationship: 50% to your spouse; 50% to your descendants.

    • If you have no spouse but descendants: 100% to your descendants.

    • If you have no spouse and no descendants: to your parents.

    • If you have no spouse, descendants, or parents: to your siblings and their descendants.

    • If none of the above: to more distant relatives; if none can be found, the estate escheats to the State of Florida.

    Testate vs. Intestate Probate

    Both testate estates (with a will) and intestate estates (without a will) go through probate. However:

    • With a will, you can name your personal representative and choose how assets are distributed.

    • Without a will, the court applies the statutory order and appoints a personal representative—often requiring agreement among heirs or additional court involvement.

    In both cases, probate is public, and court oversight is required. Having a will or trust does not necessarily eliminate probate but does provide clarity and control over how your estate is handled.


  • A Durable Power of Attorney is one of the most critical estate planning documents you can have. It allows you to name someone (called your agent) to manage your legal, financial, and property affairs if you become incapacitated.

    Key benefits:

    • Avoids court involvement. Without this document, your family may be forced to seek guardianship through the court—a costly and restrictive process.

    • Covers broad powers. A properly drafted Florida Durable Power of Attorney can allow your agent to manage real estate, banking, taxes, government benefits, and more.

    • Remains effective. Because it is “durable,” it remains in effect even if you become incapacitated.

    Many older or out-of-state powers of attorney are not compliant with current Florida law. We ensure your Power of Attorney is fully effective and tailored to your needs.


  • It’s a good idea to review your estate plan every three to five years, or sooner if there’s a significant change in your life or in Florida law. Common reasons to update include:

    • Marriage, divorce, or remarriage

    • Birth or death of a family member

    • Significant change in assets (buying or selling property, business interests, etc.)

    • Moving to Florida from another state

    • Changes in your relationships with people named in your plan (trustees, personal representative, guardians, agents)

    • Changes in tax laws or probate rules

    Even if nothing major has changed, an occasional review helps ensure your documents stay current and still reflect your wishes. We routinely help clients update older plans or adjust to new life circumstances.


  • It depends on how the accounts are set up:

    • If you have named a payable-on-death (POD) beneficiary on your account, the funds will pass directly to that person, outside of probate.

    • If the account is jointly owned with rights of survivorship, the surviving owner will take full ownership.

    • If neither of these applies, the account becomes part of your probate estate and is controlled by your will (or by Florida’s intestacy laws if you have no will).

    We help clients make sure their account titles and beneficiary designations are properly coordinated with their overall plan—so assets transfer the way they intend, as efficiently as possible.


  • Yes—you are legally free to leave unequal amounts to your children if that matches your wishes. There is no legal requirement in Florida to divide your estate equally among your children.

    However:

    • It’s important to be clear and intentional in your documents to avoid misunderstandings or disputes.

    • In some cases, we recommend including a short statement explaining your intent, not to justify it but to show it was a conscious decision.

    • You should also review how any beneficiary designations on accounts and life insurance align with your plan, so there are no unintended imbalances.

    We frequently help clients tailor their plans when they want to provide for children in different ways—whether due to need, past gifts, or other personal reasons.

Longevity & Balance

We build Flexibility into every estate plan—because life doesn’t follow a script. Our documents are designed to adapt to changing families, finances, and futures. With provisions that cover “what ifs” and “just in case” scenarios, we help clients stay protected in nearly every circumstance. It’s not just a plan—it’s a lasting framework built for real life.
We design for Resilience—so your estate plan stands strong, even when life changes. From legal shifts to family surprises, our planning anticipates and absorbs change with minimal disruption. Clients gain peace of mind knowing their documents are sturdy, smart, and built to hold up—not just today, but through life’s inevitable twists and turns.
We lead with Simplicity—so your planning feels effortless, not overwhelming. Every step is structured, every document intentional. The effort is absorbed by the process, not the client, making it easier to make big decisions with confidence. Our goal: clarity without complexity, and plans that are easy to complete, easy to understand, and easy to live with.

Here’s what we can do for You

  • Spousal Inheritance Rights in Florida

    Florida gives a surviving spouse automatic inheritance rights—even if your will or trust says otherwise. This elective share can override your wishes unless you plan around it. For couples who want to leave more to children, charities, or others, Florida law allows you to use a properly structured revocable trust, waiver, or tailored gifting strategy to protect your intent without violating spousal protections.

    Legal Authority Isn’t Automatic

    Being married doesn’t give your spouse the automatic right to make medical or financial decisions for you if you’re incapacitated. Without powers of attorney and advance directives in place, your spouse could be blocked from helping—and the court may have to step in. Specific legal instruments—such as a durable power of attorney, designation of health care surrogate, and HIPAA release—ensure your spouse can act immediately, with no court involvement or delay.

    Align Your Estate Plans

    Even in a close marriage, each spouse may have separate retirement accounts, life insurance, or a will drafted years ago. Mismatched or outdated plans can cause assets to go to the wrong person, trigger probate, or create unintended tax and legal consequences. A coordinated review of beneficiary designations, joint ownership structures, and prior documents helps ensure both plans are synchronized and legally effective.

    Balance Between Spouse and Children

    Many couples want to provide for each other while also ensuring their children receive a meaningful inheritance. Without careful planning, leaving everything to a spouse can accidentally disinherit children, especially if the surviving spouse remarries or changes the plan. By using a trust that limits withdrawal rights and sets clear remainder provisions, you can protect your spouse during life while guaranteeing your children receive what you intended.

  • Avoid Accidental Disinheritance

    Leaving everything to your spouse may unintentionally leave nothing for your children—especially if the surviving spouse remarries, updates the plan, or depletes the assets. You can use a trust to provide income or access for your spouse during life, while locking in the ultimate inheritance for your children.

    Choose Fiduciaries Who Can Navigate Family Dynamics

    Appointing your spouse to manage everything may seem natural, but it can create conflict if children don’t trust their stepparent—or vice versa. Naming a neutral trustee, co-trustee, or professional fiduciary can preserve family harmony and reduce pressure on both sides.

    Clarify “Equal” vs. “Fair” Among Children

    You may want to treat all children the same—or you may not. Children from different relationships may have different financial needs or expectations. Estate planning gives you the ability to tailor distributions by need, relationship, or circumstance without creating legal ambiguity or emotional fallout.

    Promote Openness to Prevent Mistrust

    In blended families, children and spouses often don’t communicate openly about financial matters or estate expectations. When information is withheld—intentionally or not—it can breed suspicion and resentment. Building clarity into your plan and sharing the right details in advance helps set expectations and reduce the chance of future misunderstandings.

  • Avoid Probate on Your Home

    Real estate is often the asset that forces families into probate. Using a revocable trust or lady bird deed can transfer your home directly to your beneficiaries without court delay. These tools preserve your control during life while eliminating the cost, delay, and hassle of probate after death.

    Think Twice Before Adding a Child to the Title

    Adding a child to your deed during your lifetime can create capital gains issues, expose the home to their creditors, or block your ability to refinance or sell. A trust or lady bird deed gives you the same probate-avoidance benefit—without giving up control or creating legal risk.

    Plan Ahead if the Home Is Mortgaged

    If your home carries a mortgage or HELOC, your child or intended beneficiary won’t automatically have authority to speak with the lender. Naming them as an authorized third party now avoids delays or foreclosure risks later.

    Ensure Access to Funds for Expenses

    Paying utilities, taxes, insurance, or repairs during the transition can be a burden for surviving family members. Having a trusted person listed on a joint account—or creating a transfer-on-death account—ensures someone has immediate access to cash to manage property-related expenses.

  • Create a Plan for Who Takes Over

    Without a succession plan, your business can grind to a halt if something happens to you. Family members, employees, or partners may disagree—or be legally powerless to act. A properly drafted operating agreement, trust, or buy-sell provision ensures continuity and prevents internal conflict.

    Add Pay-on-Death or Transfer Instructions to Business Documents

    Even if your business is in an LLC or corporation, it won’t automatically pass to your chosen successor. Your documents should include clear language—like POD provisions, successor designations, or trustee authority—to transfer ownership efficiently and without disruption.

    Coordinate a Professional Practice Contingency Plan

    Licensed professionals—such as mental health providers, physicians, attorneys, and others—have ethical and legal duties that don’t end if they become incapacitated or pass away. Patient care, record security, and regulatory compliance all require timely action. A professional practice contingency plan identifies who steps in, what they're authorized to do, and how those responsibilities coordinate with your personal estate plan—ensuring continuity, confidentiality, and compliance even in an emergency.

    Have a Plan to Wind Down if Continuation Isn’t the Goal

    Not every business is meant to survive its owner. But even if there’s no long-term succession plan, someone will still need to close accounts, notify clients, cancel leases, and handle final tax filings.
    Your estate plan should give a trusted person clear authority to wind things down in an orderly way—and ideally, your family should know your intentions in advance so no one is left scrambling or unsure.

  • Plan Early While Capacity Is Still Clear

    If there are early signs of memory loss or cognitive decline, waiting too long can jeopardize the validity of any plan. Challenges from family members—or legal incapacity—can prevent you from finalizing documents. Acting early ensures the plan is enforceable and reflects your true intent.

    Use a Trust to Avoid Guardianship

    If no plan is in place, the court may have to appoint a guardian to manage assets or make decisions. This process can be costly, time-consuming, and deeply invasive. A revocable trust, properly funded and managed, allows your chosen trustee to step in without court involvement if capacity declines.

    A Durable Power of Attorney Is Essential

    In Florida, a durable power of attorney must already be in place when it’s needed—you can’t create one after capacity is lost. Without it, even a spouse or adult child may be powerless to access accounts, sign documents, or manage day-to-day affairs. A well-drafted DPOA gives your chosen agent immediate authority to step in, preventing court intervention and protecting your financial stability as capacity declines.

    Make Sure Your Plan Covers the Person You Care For

    If you’re providing financial or hands-on care for a spouse, parent, or disabled child, your estate plan can’t just focus on your own needs. If something happens to you, there may be no one else in position to take over. Your plan should include specific instructions—and in some cases, designated funds or trustees—to ensure that the person you care for continues to receive support without interruption.

  • You Don’t Have Legal Rights Without Documents

    Engaged couples aren’t legally connected under Florida law, which means you can’t automatically make medical decisions or access each other’s finances if something happens. Basic planning documents—like powers of attorney, health care surrogates, and HIPAA releases—ensure you each have the legal authority to act for the other, even before the marriage is official.

    Retitle Joint Assets After Marriage to Gain Protection

    Buying a home or other assets together before marriage is common, but doing so means you can’t hold title as tenants by the entirety—a form of joint ownership available only to married couples in Florida. Once you're married, a simple retitling can convert jointly owned property into TBE, providing automatic survivorship and valuable creditor protection.

    No Default Inheritance Rights Under Florida Law

    Unlike married couples, engaged partners do not inherit from each other automatically—no matter how long you’ve been together or what you may have intended. If one of you passes away without a plan, the surviving partner could be entirely excluded. A will or trust is the only way to ensure your fiancé inherits anything under Florida law.

    No Protection From Each Other’s Creditors Before Marriage

    Before marriage, jointly owned property or accounts don’t qualify for tenancy by the entirety (TBE), which in Florida offers powerful protection against the creditors of just one spouse. If you co-own a home or account with your fiancé and they’re sued or have debt, your joint asset could be at risk. After marriage, retitling assets as TBE can protect them from individual creditor claims—but only if the title is updated properly.

  • Update Your Planning to Reflect the Change

    After divorce, your existing documents may still reference your former spouse or rely on roles and distributions that no longer align with your goals. A thorough update removes outdated provisions, closes legal gaps, and brings your plan into alignment with your current intentions.

    Review All Beneficiary Designations and Ownership Arrangements

    Retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and payable-on-death accounts often bypass your will—and outdated beneficiary designations can remain in place unless affirmatively changed. We help identify and update these accounts to reflect your current estate plan and avoid inconsistencies.

    Plan for Your Children’s Inheritance Structure

    If you have minor children, you may want someone other than their other parent to manage any inheritance. A trust allows you to name a trustee who can oversee those assets until your children reach the age or maturity you choose.

    Reconsider Guardianship and Decision-Making Roles

    Your prior plan may have included mutual appointments—naming your former spouse as personal representative, agent, or guardian. We revise those roles and clarify who should now step in to manage your affairs or care for your children if needed.

  • Protect Eligibility for Government Benefits

    Receiving an inheritance directly can disqualify a child from SSI, Medicaid, or other needs-based programs. A Special Needs Trust (SNT) allows you to set aside funds for your child without affecting their eligibility for critical benefits.

    Build Flexibility Into the Trustee’s Role

    Managing distributions for a child with disabilities requires careful judgment and ongoing oversight. Your trust can authorize the trustee to adapt spending for changing care needs, housing options, and benefit programs over time.

    Create a Letter of Intent for Future Caregivers

    A trust can handle money, but it doesn’t explain your child’s routines, preferences, or personality. A well-prepared letter of intent gives future caregivers guidance on medical needs, personal routines, goals, and values to help preserve your child’s quality of life.

    Name the Right Fiduciaries to Carry Out the Plan

    Choosing a trustee or guardian for a special needs child requires more than just trustworthiness—it requires commitment, patience, and a clear understanding of the child’s needs. We help you select the right people, define their responsibilities, and add oversight if needed to support your child for the long term.

  • Use a Trust to Control and Protect Inheritance

    If a minor inherits directly, the court may take control and release the full amount at age 18—ready or not. A trust avoids court involvement and lets you control how and when the funds are used, including setting age-based milestones, educational goals, or ongoing support over time. You choose the terms, the trustee, and the level of responsibility given at each stage.

    Pass Down More Than Just Money

    Children don’t just need financial support—they benefit from knowing where they came from, what matters to their family, and how to carry that forward. A Legacy Letter or Statement allows you to share family traditions, life lessons, values, or guidance for caregivers in your own voice—so your influence lasts beyond the legal documents.

    Provide for Medical and Care Decisions Across Ages

    Different documents apply as your child grows. We can help you authorize temporary guardianship for emergencies, HIPAA releases for college-age children, and surrogate designations when appropriate.

    Set Conditional Roles and Inheritance Milestones

    You may want to include a child in future decision-making—like naming them as a trustee or giving them co-ownership—but only once they reach a certain level of maturity. Your plan can build in age-based milestones and safeguard assets until those thresholds are met.

  • Use the Right Legal Structure for Protection and Planning

    Holding investment property in your own name can expose you to liability and make estate transitions more complicated. An LLC offers liability protection and can simplify succession by allowing direct transfer of ownership through your estate plan.

    Add Transfer Provisions to LLC and Trust Documents

    Even if your property is held in an entity or trust, it won’t automatically pass to your chosen beneficiaries unless the documents say so. We add pay-on-death or successor provisions to ensure a smooth transition without court delay or ambiguity.

    Use Lady Bird Deeds to Avoid Probate

    If a property doesn’t need to stay in an LLC, a lady bird deed is a simple, cost-effective way to transfer real estate without probate. It preserves full control during your lifetime and passes the property directly at death.

    Prevent Forced Sales or Inheritance Disputes

    Heirs often disagree about what to do with income-producing property—especially if one wants to keep it and another wants to sell. Your plan can restrict sale rights, appoint a manager, or direct rental income to specific beneficiaries to avoid conflict.

Close-up of an adult and a small child standing outdoors on a dirt path with trees in the background, both wearing sturdy boots.

Choosing the Right Estate Plan Structure

  • A will-based estate plan centers around a Last Will and Testament, which takes legal effect only upon your death. The will serves several key functions:

    • Directs how remaining assets should be distributed after death

    • Names a personal representative (executor) to oversee the estate

    • Appoints guardians for minor children, if applicable

    • May include basic testamentary trusts to hold assets for young or dependent beneficiaries

    Assets not transferred by beneficiary designations, payable-on-death (POD) provisions, transfer-on-death (TOD) deeds, or joint ownership with rights of survivorship are governed by the will and must pass through probate—a court-supervised process to validate the will, settle debts and taxes, and legally transfer property to heirs. While a will provides binding instructions, it applies only to probate assets and does not offer lifetime incapacity planning or detailed control over how or when beneficiaries receive assets. A will-based plan is generally best for individuals or families with modest estates, straightforward goals, and no need for long-term asset management or protection.

  • A trust-based estate plan layers a revocable living trust on top of the Master Estate Plan Package and relies on the trust to manage assets during your lifetime and distribute them after death. You serve as the initial trustee and beneficiary, retaining full control. The trust becomes the legal owner of assets either by retitling them during life or through beneficiary designations or TOD/POD provisions that direct assets into the trust upon death.  The trust:

    • Remains in effect during your lifetime and beyond

    • Provides seamless management if you become incapacitated

    • Allows a named successor trustee to step in without court intervention

    • Offers detailed instructions for how and when assets are distributed

    • Can hold assets in trust for beneficiaries over time, including for minors or individuals with special considerations

    • May coordinate with business succession, charitable giving, or multi-generational wealth planning

    A trust-based plan offers enhanced privacy by avoiding the public court record and enables continuous asset management without delays or additional legal processes. Unlike a will, a trust can be customized to address complex family dynamics, blended families, and evolving circumstances. Though it may involve higher initial cost and effort, the long-term benefits—greater flexibility, control, and reduced administrative burden—often make it the preferred choice for those with substantial assets, multiple properties, or legacy planning goals.

A Will-Based Estate Plan may be best if:

Your estate is relatively straightforward—A will may be appropriate if you have modest assets, no business interests, and simple distribution goals.

You’re using beneficiary designations effectively—If your primary assets transfer by TOD, POD, or beneficiary designations (e.g., life insurance, retirement accounts), a will can direct what remains.

Your family structure is simple—A will may be sufficient if you’re in a traditional family arrangement without minor children or heirs with special needs, and you have no need for staged distributions or ongoing management.

You don’t anticipate needing help managing assets—If you expect to remain fully capable of handling your finances and don’t foresee a need for someone else to manage assets due to incapacity, a will-based plan may be sufficient.

A Trust-Based Estate Plan may be best if:

You want to control how and when beneficiaries receive assets—A trust allows for staggered or conditional distributions, which can be important for minors, special needs beneficiaries, or blended family arrangements.

You have complex or out-of-state assets—A trust can streamline the management of real estate, business interests, or investments—especially when held across multiple jurisdictions.

You have a blended family—A trust provides clear direction for separate distributions, protecting each spouse’s intent and reducing the risk of family conflict.

You want planning continuity in case of incapacity—A successor trustee can take over asset management without court intervention, offering a smooth transition if you become unable to manage your affairs.

You value privacy—Unlike wills, which become public through the probate process, trusts remain private and confidential.

You want to address potential tax exposure or creditor risks—Certain trust structures can help preserve estate tax exemptions or provide limited protection against future creditor claims, particularly in higher-value or more complex estates.

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Here’s a look at our Estate Planning Process

  1. Intake email — You’ll receive a short intake email with a few key questions to help us understand your goals, family structure, and initial concerns before our consultation.
  2. Initial consultation — We’ll meet in office or by phone to discuss your family, assets, and planning goals so I can evaluate which estate planning tools are most appropriate for your needs.
  3. Summary of recommendations — You’ll receive a written summary outlining the recommended estate planning structure and documents based on your goals and circumstances.
  4. Follow-up consultation — If you have questions after reviewing the recommendations, we’ll schedule a call to walk through the details, and confirm you're comfortable before proceeding.
  5. Payment of invoice — Once you’re ready to move forward, I will email you an invoice for credit card payment to confirm your engagement and get the process started.
  6. Preparation of draft documents — We’ll prepare customized estate planning documents tailored to your situation, using your intake responses, consultation notes, and confirmed recommendations.
  7. Review and revisions — You’ll receive the drafts for review with clear instructions, and we’ll make any necessary revisions or clarifications to ensure accuracy and completeness.
  8. Signing appointment — After final approval, we’ll coordinate document signing in our office, so your plan is formally executed and legally effective.
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Our Estate Planning Documents

  • Last Will and Testament

    This document ensures that your assets, including financial accounts, personal property, and other belongings, are distributed according to your wishes. It also designates a personal representative to manage your estate. Without a will, state law dictates how your estate is divided, which may not align with your intentions.

    Even in a trust-based estate plan, your will plays a critical backup role. Not all assets may be retitled into the trust before your death. A well-drafted pour-over will ensures that any overlooked assets still follow your intended distribution and do not pass under the state’s default rules. Additionally, guardianship appointments for minor children can only be made in a will—not in a trust. That means this document is essential if you’re a parent of young children.

  • Durable Power of Attorney

    This appoints someone you trust to manage your financial matters if you become unable to handle them yourself, whether temporarily or permanently. Your agent will have the authority to pay bills, manage accounts, oversee investments, and handle other financial transactions without the need for court approval.

    If you lose capacity without a Durable Power of Attorney in place, no one—not even your spouse or adult children—has automatic authority to act for you. A guardianship proceeding would be required, which is expensive, time-consuming, and subject to court supervision. With a DPOA, you control who acts for you, when, and how, without giving up your rights while you're still competent.

  • Designation of Health Care Surrogate

    This document allows you to name someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate. The surrogate will coordinate with your doctors, access medical records, and ensure your treatment preferences are followed during a medical crisis.

    Having this document in place: (i) ensures continuity of care and prompt decision-making; (ii) reduces the risk of family disagreements during medical emergencies; and (iii) protects your right to choose who will speak for you when you cannot.

  • Living Will Declaration

    This document expresses your wishes regarding life-prolonging medical interventions, such as resuscitation or mechanical ventilation, if you are diagnosed with a terminal condition or are permanently unconscious. It offers clarity to loved ones and healthcare providers by documenting your preferences in advance.

    This document focuses specifically on end-of-life decisions and provides guidance to your health care providers and family members about whether you want life-sustaining treatments continued, withheld, or withdrawn under qualifying medical conditions.

  • HIPAA Medical Release

    The HIPAA Right of Access and Medical Release form authorizes specific individuals to access your protected health information (PHI), as permitted under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Without this written permission, healthcare providers are legally prohibited from sharing your medical records—even with your spouse, children, or closest family members.

    Even if you have a Designation of Health Care Surrogate in place, some healthcare providers may hesitate to release medical information without a standalone HIPAA release—especially before the surrogate’s authority is triggered by incapacity.

  • Declaration of Pre-Need Guardian

    A Declaration Naming Preneed Guardian allows you to proactively name the person you would want the court to appoint as your legal guardian if you are ever declared incapacitated and unable to manage your personal or financial affairs. By completing this declaration in advance, you retain some control over who will take on this critical role, rather than leaving the decision solely to the court.

    While your Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care Surrogate Designation generally allow someone to act on your behalf without court involvement, there are situations where a formal guardianship proceeding may still be necessary.

  • Designation of Health Care Surrogate for Minor Child

    The Designation of Health Care Surrogate for Minor Child allows a parent or legal guardian to authorize a trusted adult to make medical decisions for their child in the event the parent or guardian is unavailable, unreachable, or temporarily incapacitated. This document provides legal clarity and ensures that your child’s healthcare needs can be addressed without delay in emergency or unexpected situations.

    It is especially important when children are left in the care of others—whether for a short trip, during hospitalization of a parent, or in a crisis where immediate decisions must be made and a parent is not present.

  • Digital Assets Authorization and Directive

    The Digital Assets Authorization and Directive allows you to give designated individuals legal authority to access and manage your digital assets—including online accounts, electronic records, and cloud-based files—during incapacity or after death. Without this document, even close family members may face legal and technical barriers when trying to retrieve essential records, close accounts, or manage online services on your behalf.

    Federal and state privacy laws, including the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), limit access to digital accounts without specific written authorization. This document satisfies those requirements and helps ensure your digital life can be responsibly managed in accordance with your wishes.

  • Lady Bird Deed

    Also known as an Enhanced Life Estate Deed, this deed allows you to retain full ownership and control over your property during your lifetime, including the ability to sell, refinance, or transfer it. Upon your death, the property automatically transfers to your named beneficiary without going through probate, simplifying the transition and reducing costs.  In your situation, since you have minor children, it would be best to designate a revocable trust as the beneficiary.

  • Foundational Individual Revocable Trust

    This trust is ideal for individuals with clear goals and relatively simple estates. It allows full control of assets during life and ensures a smooth transition at death. It clarifies who receives what and when—especially useful for young children, blended families, or specific guardianship or beneficiary instructions. It also avoids probate for assets properly retitled or coordinated with transfer-on-death designations.

    It does not include estate tax reduction, asset protection, or long-term generational planning. Instead, it focuses on essentials: lifetime control, orderly succession, and practical implementation—a thoughtful, streamlined, cost-effective solution for those who don’t need complex legal or financial tools.

  • Legacy Individual Revocable Trust

    This trust suits individuals with more complex goals, including long-term financial stewardship, flexible family arrangements, or a desire to leave a structured legacy. It may include controls over beneficiary distributions, protections from divorce or creditors, and multigenerational planning. It can also support charitable giving, business succession, and tax planning strategies tied to state or federal exemptions.

    The Legacy Trust is ideal for those with high-value estates, blended families, beneficiaries with unique needs, or a wish to guide how assets are used after death. It offers flexibility, detailed control, and strategic tools to manage complex assets, preserve family harmony, and support broader legacy goals.

  • Foundational Joint Revocable Trust

    This trust is a streamlined solution for married couples who jointly own most assets and want a unified, efficient planning structure. It allows both spouses to manage shared property during life and provides clear instructions for distribution upon either death. It is especially effective for couples with minor children or blended families seeking a simple, predictable way to transfer assets.

    The Foundational Joint Trust covers essentials but does not include tax planning tools or advanced strategies for creditor protection, asset preservation, or generation-skipping. It is best for couples with modest estates, aligned goals, and no need for complex planning—offering control and peace of mind without unnecessary complexity.

  • Legacy Joint Revocable Trust

    This trust structure is designed for married couples with more advanced planning needs. It includes flexible tools such as Bypass and Marital Sub-Trusts to preserve each spouse's estate tax exemption. It may also incorporate strategies to reduce estate tax exposure, provide limited creditor protection for beneficiaries, and preserve wealth across generations.

    Legacy Joint Trusts are particularly appropriate for couples with high net worth, blended families with separate lines of inheritance, real estate or business interests in multiple states, or charitable goals. They can manage complex ownership structures, provide for staged or conditional distributions, and help protect against remarriage or mismanagement.

  • Separate Writing for Tangible Personal Property

    The Separate Writing for Tangible Personal Property is included with your will and allows you to make specific gifts of individual items—such as jewelry, family heirlooms, artwork, tools, collections, or household furnishings—outside the main text of your will. Florida law recognizes this type of writing when it meets certain basic criteria and is referenced in your will.

    This document gives you flexibility to: (i) add or change bequests of personal items without rewriting your will; (ii) avoid ambiguity or disputes about sentimental items among loved ones; and (iii) provide a more personal and detailed expression of your intentions.

  • Memorandum of Final Arrangements

    The Memorandum of Final Arrangements allows you to document personal end-of-life preferences not typically addressed in legal documents. While not legally binding, it offers clear guidance to your family and Personal Representative regarding the handling of your body and the type of services, if any, you prefer.

    You may specify: (i) disposition of remains—burial, cremation, or green burial; (ii) service preferences—funeral, memorial, celebration of life, or none; (iii) viewing and visitation wishes—open casket, closed casket, or none; and (iv) other instructions—music, locations, or symbolic rituals.

  • Digital Assets & Account Access Inventory

    As part of your Master Estate Plan Package, you’ve received a Digital Assets & Account Access Inventory Form. This form is designed to help you securely record and manage your digital assets, account credentials, and access information. It is intentionally comprehensive to serve as a reference point, helping you identify seldom-used accounts and ensure nothing is overlooked.