Why Do People Put Off Estate Planning?
By Spiro Verras
Estate planning is easy to postpone. The subject can feel unfamiliar, the decisions can seem larger than they are, and other responsibilities often take priority. Understanding the common obstacles can make the first conversation more comfortable.
“I am healthy and have plenty of time.”Good health is...
Taxes that Can Impact Estate Planning
By Spiro Verras
Tax planning is most useful when it supports your broader goals for your family and property. Several different taxes can matter, and an approach that helps with one tax may create a cost under another. Understanding the distinctions makes the choices easier to evaluate.
Federal estate...Estate Plans for Single Parents
By Spiro Verras
As a single parent, you may be balancing work, caregiving and many decisions about your child's future. Families differ: some parents share responsibilities with a co-parent, while others carry much of the work themselves. Your estate plan should begin with the arrangements and support network...
Post-Divorce Estate Plan Review
By Spiro Verras
After a divorce, an estate-plan review can help bring your documents and financial arrangements into line with your next chapter. There may be several tasks to address, but they can be organized thoughtfully rather than handled all at once.
Review the will and trustFlorida law generally...
Will Versus Living Trust
By Spiro Verras
A will and a revocable living trust can both express wishes about who should receive property after death. They operate differently, however, and they often work together. Comparing their roles is more useful than assuming that one is always better.
What a will doesA will directs...
Leaving Your Home to Your Children
By Spiro Verras
A home can be both a significant financial asset and a place of lasting family memories. If you want it to pass to your children, several planning methods may be available. The right choice depends on ownership, family circumstances, tax considerations and how much control...
What Should Be On Your Estate Planning Checklist
By Spiro Verras
Estate planning can be useful at many ages and levels of wealth. It addresses the property and personal belongings you want to pass on, but it also prepares for decisions during your lifetime. A good checklist brings together your wishes, the people you trust and...
Providing for Assets with Sentimental Value in Your Estate Plan
By Spiro Verras
The possessions that matter most to a family are not always the most valuable in dollars. Photographs, jewelry, a favorite recipe collection or a piece of furniture may carry a lifetime of memories. A thoughtful estate plan can explain who should receive those items and...
What belongs in a revocable trust?
By Spiro Verras
The most useful trust provisions answer the questions your family will actually face. Who can step in if you need help? How should a surviving spouse be supported? When should children receive an inheritance, and what guidance or protection would help them? A well-prepared revocable...
Making thoughtful trust distributions
By Spiro Verras
A supplemental needs trust can make room for opportunities, comfort and independence. For the trustee, the practical question is how to use the money well while accounting for the beneficiary's public benefits.
The answer depends on the trust, the benefits involved, what...