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Florida is one of only a handful of states where a Medicaid applicant’s primary residence is protected from the nursing home. Florida protects an individual’s primary residence (homestead) from the nursing home if the home equity of the homestead is less than $713,000 (2024). Most states are not as generous as Florida and either do […]

The Medicaid five-year look-back period is the timeframe in which Medicaid will look back to see when improper asset transfers were made. The look-back period nationwide for Medicaid is five years (60 months). Once a Medicaid application is submitted here in Florida, Medicaid will look back at the five previous years to see if any […]

Florida is often called a debtor’s haven. One of the biggest reasons Florida has a reputation for being a debtor’s haven is because of the homestead protection. Homestead is the number one creditor-protected asset in Florida, and Florida offers unlimited homestead protection against the vast majority of creditors.  Homestead protection against creditors is written into […]

What is a Formal Administration? A formal probate administration is a standard process that is used here in Florida to settle a deceased individual’s estate. A formal probate administration is typically used when the estate value exceeds $75,000. It is also commonly used when there are estate creditors or when important estate information is missing […]

Are you worried about your four-legged friend if something happens to you? Thankfully, Florida law allows an individual to create a trust that provides for the care of your animals. A pet trust is when a trustee is assigned to manage funds and ensure the funds are appropriately allocated for the care of your pets […]

Florida Probate is a process where a decedent’s assets are transferred to heirs or beneficiaries through a court-supervised process. Probate in Florida can often be time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. However, Probate happens all the time because people do not do the proper estate planning to ensure their assets do not go through the court system.  […]

A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that grants a person (known as the agent or attorney-in-fact) the right to make financial decisions on behalf of another person (the principal). Powers of attorney are essential documents that can be tailored for just specific powers, like selling real property, or can provide for general […]

The Personal Representative owes a duty to the estate beneficiaries and the creditors of the decedent’s estate. The Personal Representative should diligently search to locate any valid debts the Decedent might have had. The easiest way to do this is to check the Decedent’s mail, email (if possible), and bank statements for regular withdrawals. Once […]