Articles Posted in miami trust lawyer

Is a Handwritten Will Valid Under Florida Law? By: Jacqueline R. Bowden Gold, Miami Lakes Estate Planning Attorney When planning for the future, a crucial step is ensuring that your wishes are respected after your death. This often involves creating a will. However, not all wills are created equal, and understanding the types of wills…

Keeping Peace in The Family: 5 Common Pitfalls By Attorney Phil Rarick, Weston Estate Planning Attorney As an estate planning attorney, I sometimes witness stressful family fights that break out upon the death of a father or mother or husband and wife. On some occasions, it’s outright family warfare! What is painful is that the…

2024 Property Tax Appeal Deadline: Read the Small Print! By: Phil Rarick, Miami Trust Attorney You will miss this deadline if you do not read carefully – and you may need a magnifying glass to find it. Around the last weeks of August, you should have received in the mail a “Notice of Proposed Property…

Florida Successor Trustee Checklist By Phillip B. Rarick, Miami Trust Attorney You are named the successor trustee and the trustmaker has just died. No doubt these are difficult times, but thankfully there are many resources to help. The following is a checklist of initial important tasks to help guide you after the funeral or memorial…

By Phillip B. Rarick, Esq., Miami Lakes and Weston Estate Planning Attorney Its a New Year and time to file your 2025 Annual Report if you own a Florida LLC (limited liability company), corporation, or partnership. The deadline is May 1, 2025. The state will charge you a $400 late fee if you miss this…

Asset Protection Checklist For Married Professionals By Phil Rarick, Esq., and Jacqueline Bowden Gold, Esq., Miami Asset Protection Attorneys If you have creditor threat, do you know what assets are easily exposed to creditors? Do you know what assets are already protected by Florida law? Take this three minute survey for a quick assessment. 1.…

by: Phillip B. Rarick, Esq. Here is the good news/bad news I received from my bank today regarding my Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application: The good news: your application has been approved; the bad: the SBA is out of money and you must wait for Congress to refund the program! Although I have heard of…

By Phillip B. Rarick, Esq., Miami Asset Protection Attorney If you have never checked Florida’s website for lost accounts and abandoned property you should do so – immediately. You may be pleasantly surprised! You may think that it is not possible that you have any “unclaimed” property held by the State of Florida – and…

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 legislature overhauled the statute and…

By: Phillip B. Rarick, Miami Lakes and Weston Estate Planning Attorney Note: This 10 Point Checklist is for those persons who have interests in one or more Florida corporate entities, such as a corporation, limited liability company (LLC), or limited partnership (LP). 1. Annual Fees. In January the State of Florida will send notices via…