Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Do Business Ownership Interests Go Through Probate When A Business Owner Dies?
Some people love their jobs so much that they never want to retire, and some achieve that goal, continuing to work until they die. Certain professions attract this attitude more than others; no one dreams of being an octogenarian in a cubicle farm. Business owners are among those who aspire to draw their last… Read More »
Enhanced Life Estate Deeds: Generational Wealth For The 99 Percent
Florida is not like everywhere else, and that is why we love it. Florida is the only place in the world that is a natural habitat for an alligator species (the American alligator) and a crocodile species (the American crocodile). The far-fetched ways that Floridians go about achieving their goals has led to a… Read More »
Estate Planning New Year’s Resolution: Disinheriting Ungrateful Family Members
In more innocent times, estate planning lawyers used to encourage people to set the estate planning goal of writing a will. As motivation, they cited ensuring that your family will be provided for after your death and being generous to the people and charities that you care about. Those were the old days. The… Read More »
Estate Planning For Grinches
Some people are grumpy at the holidays because of financial hardship, strained family relationships, or old or new bereavement, but others are grumpy at the holidays simply because holiday grouchiness is baked into their DNA. If you are a dyed in the wool Grinch, then you have been in a bad mood ever since… Read More »
Summary Estate Administration And Florida Law
You always hear that, when a family member dies, you must promptly submit a petition to the court for probate of the estate, but what happens if you don’t? Not much, except that the decedent’s heirs and creditors don’t get paid. It isn’t as if the estate can assess penalties on a dead person… Read More »
The Place Holder Estate Plan
Nothing is sweeter than a moment of idleness that you know you can afford. By contrast, when you procrastinate certain unpleasant tasks because the thought of doing them stresses you out, the whole process only increases your stress levels. Estate planning is eminently easy to stress about and even easier to procrastinate. No one… Read More »
Are You In Compliance With Your Fiduciary Duty As Personal Representative Of An Estate?
A lot of people feel honored when they hear that a family member’s will contains a provision for the person to be appointed as person representative of the testator’s estate. Acting as personal representative of a family member’s estate can seem like an act of love, and people gladly take on the responsibility as… Read More »
Should You Be Afraid Of Medicaid Estate Recovery?
Estate planning lawyers often warn you not to outlive your savings, but what is the worst that can happen if you do? You will not be able to enjoy the trappings of retirement like people with robust retirement savings can, but you will not be without food and shelter. You will still get Social… Read More »
Does Selling Your Small Business Count As A Retirement Plan?
If you believe the histrionic news reports and the snarky listicles on social media, all the Baby Boomers retired at age 65 from corporate jobs and rode off into the sunset toward their houses with paid off mortgages and their retirement pensions and savings accounts that would enable them to lounge on the beach… Read More »
How To Ensure That Your Heirs Inherit Your Cryptocurrency
One of the most valuable things a person can lose is the digital key to a cryptocurrency wallet. Bitcoin and its imitators appeared on the scene quickly a little more than a decade ago, and no one is really sure how much money their owners have gained and lost through cryptocurrency investments. A recent… Read More »
