Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves passed away last week from Catastrophic Organ Failure. The former Atlanta Braves pitcher was experiencing trouble breathing on Sunday when he was rushed to a nearby Atlanta hospital. The death was completely unexpected as the pitcher was only 29 years old and appeared to be both healthy and strong. “Big Red” as he teammates affectionately called him, will certainly be missed.
This tragedy is a reminder of how short life can be. Most of us make the common mistake of thinking that we have plenty of time to get everything in order but tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. Do not assume you are too young or not wealthy enough. Instead, contact the office of Wild, Felice & Partners, P.A. today for your free consultation. Sit with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys and allow them to help you:
1. Identify your assets
2. Identify and achieve your goals: Is your biggest concern designating a guardian for your children? Or perhaps you wish to ensure your family is not subjected to probate. Perhaps you wish to control your assets from beyond the grave. Whatever your goals are, allow our attorneys help you to achieve them.
3. Help you choose the correct technique for protecting yourself, your wealth and your loved ones: There are many techniques used to protect yourself and your family. Your goals will determine which technique is best for you. Some of these techniques include: The Last Will and Testament, Irrevocable Trust, and a Living Trust.
4. Durable Power of Attorney: A durable Power of Attorney allows you to designate and authorize someone to legally act on your behalf, in the event that you are unable to do so. Not having one could mean that someone you don’t like could make your financial decisions.
5. Healthcare Surrogate and HIPAA Release: A HealthCare Surrogate allows you to designate and authorize someone to legally act on your behalf and make important healthcare decisions, in the event you are unable to do so. A HIPAA release will allow the authorized individual to pull your medical records to aid in making important decisions.
6. Living Will: The Living Will will convey your wish to either be kept alive artificially or instruct the doctor to pull the plug.
Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Create an estate plan today to protect yourself and your family for tomorrow.
For more information on successful Florida estate planning and asset protection techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 to schedule your free consultation
It’s a Wild world. Are you protected?SM

One in seven Americans are over the age of 65. This means that those who have cared for us as children are growing old and are beginning to need us to now care for them. Seeing our parents and grandparents weaken, we want to be sure that they will be provided with the upmost care for the remainder of their life. However, properly planning for the aging population is complicated and requires the help of a competent attorney.
Failing to properly plan today will mean that the difficult decisions of the future will fall on your loved ones. For instance, if you fail to designate someone to make important healthcare or financial decisions on your behalf, the court will appoint a Guardian to do so. This very well could mean someone you don’t know or perhaps don’t even like will be making big decisions that will directly impact your life. Eliminate this scary possibility by getting all necessary elder care documents in place today. Our specialized elder law attorneys can help with the process and provide information on the following:
-Explain what long term care is, help you to understand the costs associated with this type of care and explain how the government can help alleviate the bill.
-Review and update an old, outdated estate plan. Due to life’s ever changing nature (divorce, marriage, remarriage, children, growth in wealth, etc) and the fact that we are aging daily (plan for your incapacity by designating your durable power of attorney and healthcare surrogate), we recommend meeting with an experienced estate planning attorney once a year. If you don’t have an old estate plan to update then now is the time to get one in place. An estate plan not only protects your assets, it also provides peace of mind! Protect yourself and your assets by creating or updating your estate plan with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys.
-Help you to better understand the difference between Medicare and Medicaid and how these programs may benefit you or your loved ones.
-Help you to better understand Veteran Administration benefits and how they can pay for long term care.
Elder law is a broad field and can be extremely complicated. Therefore, it’s necessary to work with a competent elder law attorney in order for any plan to work. Call the offices of Wild, Felice & Partners today at (954) 653-2917 and schedule your free consultation. Allow our attorneys to help your loved one receive the best long term care, the most benefits and achieve peace of mind.
To learn more about the benefits of elder law visit. http://wfplaw.com/Elder-Law.html.
It’s A Wild World. Are You Protected?SM

Thanksgiving dinner is full of estate planning tips. The turkey reminds us that life is often shorter than we expect and putting off that estate plan until tomorrow could prove disastrous if you end up stuffed and roasted or even deep fried. The candied yams show us that even something that looks boring can be incredibly important when prepared correctly. The vegetables on our plates are a good analogy for the necessity of a legally valid Living Will… well, for obvious reasons. The pecan pie doesn’t remind me of anything but I really like pecan pie so I thought I should mention it anyway. This Thanksgiving let’s learn from our delicious dinner. Don’t just be thankful for your family and all that you have, protect it!

Estate Planning is appropriate for everyone no matter what stage of life they are in. Protecting your wealth and preparing for unforeseen accidents remain equally important whether you are older and have accumulated a great deal of wealth or are young in years.  Without the proper planning, your assets will be distributed by statute and in a manner that may be undesirable.  By creating an estate plan, you have control over where your assets go and in what manner they get there. A proper estate plan will eliminate the probate process, may reduce taxes and will protect the assets against possible litigation, divorce or other troubles your beneficiaries may face.  To protect your assets, yourself and your family, consider the following documents:

1. Living Trust – The Trust will keep the assets it hold segregated from your estate which will allow the assets to avoid probate (the legal process of determining whether a will is valid). By avoiding probate you remain in control and can choose who receives what and how they will receive it.
2.  Assignment of Property – This Assignment of Property does just that: assigns your property to your trust. This includes both real & personal property. This document is important because a Trust without property is ineffective and useless.
3.  Last Will & Testament – The traditional will that is used upon death to distribute property to beneficiaries, specify last wishes, and name guardians for minor children.
4.  Durable Power of Attorney – Designate and authorize someone to legally act on your behalf, in the event that you become incapacitated or otherwise incapable.
5.  Combination Living Will & Designation of Healthcare Surrogate – Outlines important healthcare decisions in advance, and allows for you to appoint a healthcare surrogate to make healthcare decisions for you when you become unable to do so yourself.

Don’t be a Turkey this November, get your estate plan today! Schedule your free consultation by contacting the South Florida office Wild, Felice & Partners, P.A. at (954) 944-2855.  To learn more about Estate Planning and Asset Protection visit our website at www.wfplaw.com.

It’s Wild World. Are You Protected? SM

With the World Series now underway, the New York Mets face off against the Kansas City Royals. This should be quite the battle since the Royals have not held a World Series title since 1985 and the Mets have not seen a title in the last 29 years.  Each team is undoubtedly pumped and their fans are likely wearing their lucky unwashed undergarments (gross but necessary).  Just as each team is taking the necessary steps to avoid striking out come game time, you too should take the necessary steps to protect your assets and be prepared for any curve ball life may throw your way.

Every individual, no matter what their circumstances are, should be concerned with protecting their assets. With 16 million new civil suits being filed each year, no one is completely safe from the possibility of litigation.  No need to be stifled with fear, however.  At Wild, Felice & Partners, P.A., our attorneys focus on asset protection through estate planning and business formation.

Estate planning

The most favorable estate planning tool is the Living Trust.  By creating a Living Trust you are protecting your assets and loved ones from probate.  Probate, the legal process of proving one’s will, is costly and can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months to complete.  Avoiding probate through the creation of a Living Trust allows for the assets you leave behind to be distributed timely and in any manner you deem suitable.  Further, the assets remain protected long after you’re gone as they are segregated from any possible lawsuit, divorce, or bankruptcy your beneficiaries may become part of.  Other important documents that will be included in your trust based plan include a last will and testament, assignment of property, durable power of attorney, living will, healthcare surrogate and HIPAA release form.

Business formation

Asset protection for business owners begins with choosing the proper business form. Whether you own a business as a sole proprietor or as part of a general partnership you can be held personally liable for all of the debts of the business.  However, you can avoid these business debts and protect your assets through creating a Limited partnership, Limited Liability Company, or Corporation.

The Limited Liability Company (“LLC”) is a commonly used structure that offers higher liability protection than a corporation would. Once the LLC is formed it then assumes ownership of the assets.  By eliminating your personal ownership and, instead, owning your assets in an LLC, you are safeguarded from being pulled into a lawsuit brought against you.  This means your home and personal accounts (i.e. bank account) remain untouched since you are not personally liable.  This feature allows the LLC members to remain in control of the assets without having to worry about any risk associated with having title in their name.  Since there are many steps involved in properly forming an LLC, it is imperative that you contact a qualified attorney to assist you from start to finish.

Don’t strike out. Protect your assets from probate or a possible business debt. Whether estate planning or business formation is the appropriate technique for you, our attorneys can assist you.  For more information on successful Florida estate planning and asset protection techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 and schedule your free consultation, or visit our website at www.wfplaw.com

It’s a Wild World. Are You Protected?  SM.