DIY vs. Attorney Estate Planning in Florida: What Miami Families Should Know
DIY wills vs. a Florida attorney: the real costs, hidden risks, and Miami probate timeline behind doing estate planning right.
June 21, 2025
DIY wills vs. a Florida attorney: the real costs, hidden risks, and Miami probate timeline behind doing estate planning right.
A Miami estate planning attorney explains how snowbirds and dual-state residents avoid ancillary probate, fix domicile, and protect out-of-state property.
The essential estate planning documents every Florida adult needs: will, durable power of attorney, health care directives, HIPAA release, and living trust.
How charitable giving and charitable trusts work in a Florida estate plan, especially for out-of-state and dual-state property owners. Miami estate planning guide.
How a pour-over will works alongside a Florida living trust in Miami, what it can and cannot do, and how it affects your probate timeline.
How a Florida revocable living trust works, what it costs, and the Miami-Dade probate it can spare your family. A clear how-it-works guide.
How Florida homestead law protects your Miami family home in your estate plan—creditor protection, devise restrictions, and dual-state pitfalls explained.
How a Florida pet trust (§736.0408) protects your animals in Miami, what it costs to set up, and how the funds are managed over time.
How blended families in Florida protect children and a new spouse: homestead, elective share, trusts, and traps for out-of-state owners. Miami attorney guide.
How Florida trust administration works after the grantor dies: successor trustee duties, the 6-month creditor window, taxes, and out-of-state property issues.
A Florida living trust keeps your estate out of public probate records. Learn how revocable trusts protect privacy for out-of-state and dual-state owners.
How Florida’s 30% elective share protects a surviving spouse, who it applies to, and how out-of-state owners and dual-state couples can plan around it.
How to name a guardian for minor children in a Florida estate plan, including preneed guardian designations under Fla. Stat. 744.3046 for out-of-state families.
A Miami how-it-works guide to the core estate planning documents under Florida law, plus realistic timelines for getting your plan in place.
A step-by-step estate planning checklist for Miami, FL — documents, costs, timeline, and Florida-specific items like homestead and Lady Bird deeds.
How a Florida pour-over will works with a living trust, what statutes govern it, and why out-of-state property owners need both. Miami estate planning guide.
How special needs trusts protect a disabled beneficiary’s Medicaid and SSI in Florida. First-party vs. third-party SNTs, payback rules, and dual-state pitfalls.
A Miami estate planning lawyer explains the most common Florida estate planning mistakes and how out-of-state and dual-state owners can avoid them.
The estate planning mistakes that cost Miami families time and money in Florida probate, and how to fix each one before it becomes a problem.
A step-by-step Miami guide to funding a Florida revocable living trust, with timelines and the homestead pitfalls that trip up local owners.
Practical ways to avoid Florida probate in Miami-Dade, trusts, Lady Bird deeds, beneficiary designations, with real costs and timelines.
A Miami breakdown of what estate planning costs in Florida, why prices vary, and how upfront fees compare to the cost of Florida probate.
How Florida residents avoid state estate tax, plan around the federal exemption, and use smart gifting strategies. Guidance for out-of-state property owners.
No will in Miami? Florida intestacy decides who inherits, plus the probate timeline and costs your family faces. A plain how-it-works guide.
When a Florida irrevocable trust is worth it, asset protection, Medicaid, life insurance, and what you trade away. A practical Miami guide.
How Miami families use Florida trusts to protect an inheritance for young or spendthrift heirs, plus realistic costs and timelines.
How Lady Bird (enhanced life estate) deeds work in Florida, why dual-state owners use them to skip probate, and the tax and Medicaid tradeoffs.
How Florida couples in second marriages coordinate prenups, wills, and trusts to protect children and survive the state’s elective share and homestead rules.
How an ILIT works for Miami families: what it costs, the timeline to set one up, and why Florida’s no-estate-tax rules change the math.
Joint ownership with survivorship can wreck a Florida estate plan. A Miami attorney explains the traps for out-of-state and dual-state owners.
