By Phillip B. Rarick, Esq. and Jay R. Beskin, Esq. Last year the Federal annual gift tax exclusion was $15,000 and the amount remains the same for 2019. This means you can walk down the street and give out $15,000 to every person you meet and not have to file…
By: Phil Rarick, Esq. A Short Story With a Big Lesson Everyone admired the Anderson family. Walter and Joan had 5 children and had worked hard all their lives to give their children the best of American life: each child received a car when they were a junior in high…
By: Phil Rarick Here is a scenario we see more and more with persons who try to do estate planning themselves, specifically Florida Wills, without consulting with an experienced estate planning attorney. Louise has three adult daughters, Erma, Madeline, and Roseanne. The daughters are all close and speak to each…
By: Jacqueline R. Bowden Gold Our office handles probate estates for many out of state residents through our Florida Counsel services. In handling the estates there are three common problems we see with Non-Florida Wills that can easily be avoided by consulting with a Miami Estate Planning attorney. If you…
May the odds be with you –but frankly they’re not. More than 60% of doctors over the age of 55 have been sued at least once, according to a new survey by the American Medical Association (AMA). Doctors are not the only professionals at risk. Virtually all small business owners…
By Phillip B. Rarick, Esq., Miami Probate Attorney Florida’s 30% elective share law was completely rewritten in 2001 because the old law could be easily circumvented by placing assets in a revocable trust or using non-probate transfers (e.g. life insurance, IRAs etc.) In an effort to curtail such tactics, the…
Does A Trust Need to Be Recorded, Filed or Registered in Florida? One of the most common questions I get as a Weston estate planning attorney is, do I need to record my living trust? Some persons believe that a trust needs to be publicly recorded like a corporation or…
By: Phil Rarick, Estate Planning Attorney Many persons are tempted to have a “Simple Will” in which they want everything they own at death to go outright first to their spouse, and if the spouse does not survive then to their children in equal shares. Rather than take the time…
Big Question: Can your practice survive if you suddenly die or become incapacitated? Recently, a highly respected physician suddenly died owning 100% of his practice in a Professional Association. No other person was listed on Florida’s Sunbiz.org as an officer. Payroll was paid on a weekly basis. Even though the…
Three Big Threats To Your Children Over 18 – And How To Protect Them By Phil Rarick, Weston Estate Planning Attorney You have done it. You have guided (or you have survived) your children’s teen years. They are now over 18. They are now “sui juris” in the eyes of…