How to Avoid Probate in Florida: A Walk-Through Using the Hernandez Family
How a Florida family skipped probate using a Lady Bird deed, beneficiary designations, and a revocable trust under Chapters 731-735.
February 16, 2026
How a Florida family skipped probate using a Lady Bird deed, beneficiary designations, and a revocable trust under Chapters 731-735.
How Florida special needs trusts protect a disabled beneficiary’s SSI and Medicaid. First-party vs. third-party trusts, the payback rule, and drafting tips.
Adding a child to your Florida deed or bank account feels simple, but joint ownership can backfire badly. A scenario-based look at the real risks.
Divorced, remarried, or new to Florida? Learn when and how to update your estate plan under Florida law, plus elective-share traps for spouses.
How Florida blended families plan estates around elective share, homestead and spousal rights so a surviving spouse and children are both protected.
Avoid the costly Florida estate planning mistakes that hurt surviving spouses — homestead traps, elective share errors, stale beneficiaries, and more.
Florida has no state estate or inheritance tax. Here is how the federal estate tax actually affects Florida families, with a real-world example.
Florida incapacity planning explained: durable power of attorney, health care surrogate, living will, and preneed guardian. Protect yourself before a crisis.
How Florida health care surrogate designations and living wills work under Chapter 765, why spouses need both, and how to make them legally valid.
A Florida living trust keeps your estate out of public probate records, shielding your assets, heirs, and finances from prying eyes. Here’s how it works.
When do irrevocable trusts make sense in Florida? A Florida estate attorney explains asset protection, Medicaid, taxes, and elective-share traps.
How snowbirds and dual-state residents should plan their estates, fix Florida domicile, and protect a surviving spouse’s elective share. A Florida attorney explains.
From crypto to cloud photos, your Florida estate plan needs a digital strategy. Florida law gives your fiduciary the access, if you set it up right.
Why beneficiary designations override your Florida will, and how a forgotten form can derail your whole estate plan. A scenario-driven Florida guide.
How charitable giving and trusts work in a Florida estate plan, including CRTs, CLTs, and how gifts interact with a surviving spouse’s elective share.
How Florida business owners plan their estate and succession—buy-sell agreements, trusts, elective share, and protecting a surviving spouse’s interest.
A Florida-specific look at whether you need a will, using real scenarios on homestead, probate, and what the state decides if you skip it.
How Florida joint ownership and survivorship can derail your estate plan, override your will, and shortchange a surviving spouse. A Florida attorney explains.
Florida beneficiary designations on life insurance, IRAs, and POD accounts override your will. Learn how this affects spouses and elective share.
A Florida estate attorney explains the durable power of attorney under Chapter 709: how it works, agent duties, banking provisions, and spouse concerns.
How a Florida special needs trust lets you provide for a disabled loved one without ending SSI or Medicaid eligibility. A scenario-based guide.
South Florida is built by people who came from somewhere else. In our community, it is common for one spouse to be a U.S. citizen
How Florida’s Medicaid 5-year look-back works for nursing-home care, what triggers a penalty, and planning moves that actually help.
How Florida parents name a guardian for minor children, why a will is the key tool, and the money mistakes that trip families up.
How Florida pour-over wills work with a living trust, what they catch in probate, and what surviving spouses should know about the elective share.
When and why to review your Florida estate plan: life events, law changes, and elective-share traps every surviving spouse should watch for.
How Florida homestead law protects the family home from creditors and restricts devise, and how to plan around it for a surviving spouse.
How Florida’s 30% elective share protects a surviving spouse, what counts in the elective estate, and how couples plan around it. South Florida attorneys explain.
How Florida estate tax and gifting strategies work: no state estate tax, federal exemption planning, annual gifting, portability, and the elective share.
How Florida residents can build charitable giving into an estate plan, from simple bequests to trusts, with the right tools and no state estate tax.
