Articles
Advance Directive in Estate Planning: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Set One Up
An advance directive is a key estate planning document that outlines your medical treatment preferences and guides decisions if you become incapacitated. It typically includes a living will, which outlines your end-of-life care wishes. It also includes a healthcare...
Avoid These 12 Common Estate Planning Mistakes
Common estate planning mistakes include failing to create a plan, not updating documents after major life changes, and not properly funding trusts, which can lead to probate, taxes, and family disputes. Other issues include not planning for incapacity, overlooking...
Estate Planning Documents: Checklist & Key Forms
Essential estate planning documents include a last will and testament, revocable living trust, durable financial power of attorney, and advance healthcare directive (living will/medical POA). These documents help outline how your assets are distributed, who will make...
Essential Strategies for International Estate Planning
Planning for Foreign Assets in an Estate Plan International estate planning is a way to protect and move your property when it is in more than one country. If you own a house in another country, have a foreign bank account, or have family members who live outside the...
The Slayer Rule: What Happens When a Beneficiary Kills?
Estate Planning Lessons from the Rob Reiner Tragedy By Kevin C. Martin, Esq. What is the slayer rule, and why does it matter for your estate plan? The tragic deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner on December 14, 2025, brought this obscure legal doctrine into the national...
Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney: Which Does Your Family Need?
Key Takeaway: A power of attorney is a document you create voluntarily while you have mental capacity. Guardianship is a court process that happens after incapacity. A properly drafted durable power of attorney can prevent the need for guardianship entirely, saving...
How to Choose the Right Executor for Your Estate
When Pope Francis died on Easter Monday this past April, the Catholic Church activated a succession plan refined over two millennia. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, serving as Camerlengo, immediately assumed responsibility for verifying the death, securing the papal...
Estate Planning for Federal Employees: Coordinating TSP, FERS, and FEGLI Beneficiaries
Federal employees have access to excellent retirement and insurance benefits, but these benefits come with a planning challenge that many employees overlook: each benefit has its own beneficiary designation system, and none of them are controlled by your will. The...
What Is Florida’s Spousal Elective Share? What Hulk Hogan’s Estate Reveals About Protecting Your Children’s Inheritance
Florida's spousal elective share is a statutory right that guarantees a surviving spouse at least 30% of the deceased spouse's estate, regardless of what the will says. Under Florida Statutes Section 732.2065, a surviving spouse can "elect against" the will and claim...