Setting up a revocable trust does not automatically give the successor trustee a key to every safe-deposit box the settlor ever rented. Florida law looks at whose name is on the lease, what the trust documents say, and the legal...
A donor-advised fund (DAF) can feel like a personal charitable account, but it legally belongs to someone else once the money is contributed. That distinction shapes what a Florida estate plan can and cannot accomplish with a DAF, and it...
Married couples setting up a revocable trust often assume the choice is mostly stylistic: one trust for convenience or two for a cleaner paper trail. Florida law does not require either structure, and both can avoid probate and manage incapacity...
Naming a child or grandchild as the beneficiary on a 529 plan feels like enough planning, but beneficiary status alone does not hand that person control of the money. Florida’s 529 plans follow their own survivorship rules, and those rules...
Rental property owners often hear that a revocable trust can protect their real estate. That’s only partly true. A revocable trust is a strong tool for probate avoidance and keeping management continuous if the owner becomes incapacitated, but it isn’t...
Many Florida families have an adult child still living at home, whether by choice, financial necessity, or a disability that makes independent living difficult. Parents in this situation often assume things will simply work out after they’re gone. Florida law...
A revocable trust is flexible by design. The person who creates it can usually change it during life, as long as they still have the legal capacity to do so. That flexibility helps families in Jacksonville adjust after marriage, divorce,...
A beneficiary designation names who receives an asset after death. People often use them for life insurance, retirement accounts, payable-on-death bank accounts, and similar assets. These forms look easy, but can cause problems when they don’t match a will, trust,...
A revocable trust can be changed during your lifetime, which is one reason many Jacksonville families use it. It can help manage assets, keep some matters private, and make things easier for loved ones after death or incapacity. Still, a...
For many Jacksonville families, the home is the largest asset in the estate plan. That can make planning more emotional when adult children are involved. One child may live nearby, while another may live out of state. A second marriage,...
