Author Archives: Jay Butchko
How to Protect Your Florida Home Against Foreclosure
The housing market has been a wild ride in recent years, and foreclosure rates across the U.S. are surging. Data from the information provider ATTOM shows that in recent years the rate of foreclosures has significantly spiked. Florida is not immune to this by any means. Currently, there is approximately one foreclosure for every… Read More »
Handling Special Assets in a Florida Estate
A personal representative of a last will and testament has the weighty duty of endeavoring to do their best to ensure that the testator’s last wishes are honored and brought to fruition. This duty is amplified, of course, by the living beneficiaries who are depending on the personal representative to complete their task so… Read More »
Do You Have to Follow Your Own Rules? Amending Florida Trusts
We live in a day and age where the vast majority of people have a great many options available to them when it comes to constructing an estate plan. One popular estate planning tool that many choose to utilize is a revocable trust. Florida law recognizes that the settlor (can be thought of as… Read More »
How are Estate Taxes Handled in Florida Probate?
It has been said that in life, only two things are quite certain: death, and taxes. But it is difficult to know what you just do not know, when we are planning our own estate plans, or trying to manage a loved one’s estate through the probate process. The last thing anyone wants to… Read More »
Digital Assets in Florida Probate
It is hard to believe how vastly today’s digital world has advanced in the past twenty-five years alone. Through human history, the passing on of estates included physical items such as forms of transportation and plots of land. While that is still certainly the case, in today’s day and age those who are creating… Read More »
Undue Influence in Florida Estate Planning
Many individuals carefully plan and construct a thorough estate plan that dictates how their assets and estate will be handled and distributed after their death. Unfortunately, these same individuals can become vulnerable to bad-actors who take advantage of an ill or aged person in order to manipulate a benefit to themselves into the last… Read More »
Homestead Protection in Florida
Most people find the ins and outs of probate to be complicated. While this can certainly be the case, a lot of the stress and anxiety can be alleviated through testators learning what tools are available to them in creating their estate plan. One of the primary causes of stress for many family members… Read More »
Marital Contracts Can Affect Your Estate Long-Term: What You Need to Know Before You Sign
Most people under most circumstances are perfectly free and able to make and execute an estate plan that perfectly reflects their wishes. However, when one is drafting their last will and testament, they need to keep in mind that the terms of a last will and testament do not act to supersede outside contractual… Read More »
Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure in Florida
The U.S. is facing a tough economy. Florida, in particular, has seen a rise in housing woes and angst on a number of fronts. If you are facing the possibility of foreclosure, know that there are options available to you. One such option is a “deed in lieu of foreclosure.” A deed in lieu… Read More »
Inheritance Theft and Tortious Interference in Florida
Many people work their entire lives with an eye on leaving a lasting legacy to their kids, or another loved one. Losing a close loved one is awful enough, it can add insult to injury to find, after a loved one has passed, that the inheritance you expected is going to another party. Sometimes… Read More »