What is probate?
When you die, you probably have ideas about who you’d like your assets and belongings to go to. Probate is the act of transferring your things to your beneficiary, and the way that it’s handled by your attorney.
How can I make sure things are distributed like I want?
With estate planning, you can be as specific as you’d like. We’ll help you work through all the details of the process. We’ll start by collecting a list of your assets, such as bank accounts, stocks and mutual funds, life insurance information, and things like employer or military benefits.
Once we have this information, we’ll be able to help you understand things like taxes, the documentation you’ll need, and sort out all the details.
Why can’t I just do it on my own? I saw forms online I can download.
There are a couple of reasons that we recommend speaking to an attorney. First, we have access to tools you may not be aware of. Second, there are state rules that you’ll want to understand. You don’t want Florida law overriding your requests, just because it was something you weren’t aware of.
Let us guide you with the right information so your final wishes are followed as you planned. One of the things most people don’t understand is that estate planning can help with the probate process and make things easier.
If you don’t plan prior to your passing, there can be a lot of steps that your family members will have to go through, like creating an inventory, figuring out the value of things, along with tax issues. The hardest part is they’ll have to deal with this hassle while they’re grieving, adding stress to their already fragile state.
Consider it an act of love to plan for your family’s needs ahead of time. It’s difficult enough to lose somebody you care about. Adding an extra step can be avoided with proper estate planning.
