Estate Planning Attorney in Plantation Florida
Adults of all ages can benefit from proper estate planning, ranging from couples with minor children who can use estate planning tools to name guardians for their children and to set aside money for them to seniors who would like to avoid probate and/or plan for long term care. Estate Planning Attorney Bobbi Meloro, can guide you through each of these areas and will represent your best interests throughout the process.
Our Estate Planning Practice Areas
Attorney Bobbi Meloro can competently and compassionately assist you with the following:
- Avoiding Probate. Probate is a court process required to clear title on certain assets if someone dies owning assets in their individual name without adding a joint owner or beneficiary. Most people want to avoid probate because it is time consuming and costly for their heirs and because it allows creditors an opportunity to make claims. We can help you to avoid probate through proper estate planning, such as by titling assets in the name of a trust, naming beneficiaries on all assets, and recording updated deeds. When estate planning is not done, and probate is needed, we can assist you with the probate process.
- Drafting a Will and/or Trust. A will allows you to provide instructions as to how you would like your estate handled and also allows you to name the beneficiaries you want to receive your property. Wills are often filed in the public records. For those who would like more privacy, a will can be designed to “pour over” any asset you may own into a trust. The terms of the trust then control how property is distributed. A trust serves a number of purposes: it allows for privacy because it does not need to be filed in the public records; assets held in the name of a trust are not subject to probate administration; and it allows you to name a trustee to manage your trust when you can no longer do so for yourself. A trust can also be used to name a guardian for minor children and to set funds aside for their care and education. Wills and trusts both must have the correct number of witnesses and be notarized to be valid in Florida.
- Recording Updated Deeds. You can protect your homestead or other real estate from probate and creditors by recording the correct type of deed, such as a deed titling the property into a trust or an enhanced life estate deed which names beneficiaries.
Contact Our Estate Planning Attorney in Plantation, Florida Today
To learn more about our estate planning practice and how working with an attorney can help, contact our law offices today online or by calling us directly.