Estate Planning & Asset Protection Needs for the
Newly Married Same-Sex Couple

Same sex couples are saying “I do” from the white sandy beaches of Panama City all the way to the Southernmost point of Key West. As of January 6, 2015, Florida became the 36^th state to allow same-sex marriage.

As they celebrate their new matrimony, Wild Felice and Partners provides same-sex couples with key information to ensure that each partner is taken care of. The laws have changed; therefore the estate planning and asset protection plans have to change as well.

One of the options use to protect the assets of both partners is referred to as Tenancy by the Entirety. A Tenancy by the Entirety is a designation that only married couples can use and offers excellent asset protection benefits, including the following:

Benefits of Tenancy by the Entirety:

• Both spouses have an undivided interest in the property, with full rights to occupy and use it. As a result, neither spouse can transfer property without the other spouse allowing it.

• If one of the spouses gets sued or incurs a liability, creditors and lawyers cannot go after his/her property because both spouses own the property simultaneously.

• If one spouse dies, the other spouse automatically takes sole ownership of that property.

The lists of benefits could go on and on but we understand that you are in the throes of matrimonial bliss!

Wild Felice and Partners is dedicated to helping you understand the laws and make a seamless transition into your new marriage. As a legal couple in the state of Florida, we highly encourage setting up a free consultation to ensure that you and your spouse are protected.

Click here for a free consultation: http://wfplaw.com/Contact-Us.html

How many networking events do you attend a week?

I usually attend anywhere from 10 to 15 networking events per week.

How are you able to manage a company, family and network 15 times a week?! 

No man is successful without a lot of other people wanting him to be.  I would not be able to juggle all of the balls I have in the air without the support of my wife, my family and my friends.  It takes a village to run a business.

With new emerging technology, how do you think estate planning will change? What does the future hold? 

People’s assets are becoming more and more digital.  Prior to Facebook going public, the domain Facebook.com may have been the most valuable asset Mark Zuckerberg owned. Our domains, social media, shared online documents, email addresses and all types of digital intellectual property are key concerns when creating and funding estate planning documents.

If you could travel any where, where would you go? 

Gainesville, Florida.  Either there or Italy.

If you won the lottery today, what would you do?

I don’t think my life would change much.  I’d probably write larger checks to charities than I normally do and I would definitely travel a bit more.  I love my job and I especially love meeting new people through networking.  I might throw a bunch of money at Bruce Springsteen to play a private concert for my next birthday but other than that, I’d be low key.

As I sit here watching the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (I swear it was my wife’s idea!) I cannot help but think about…asset protection.

These stunning young ladies spend hours upon hours working out, dieting, and sculpturing their bodies to perfection, so 9.3 million Americans can curse their parents for bad genes and swear to begin dieting tomorrow. Thanks to the models hard work in the gym, their external assets guarantee them a spot on the runway.

Much like Giselle spends hours in the gym protecting her assets, we suggest spending a few hours a year on protecting your assets. However, you assets come in a different form, no offense.

These assets are in the form of estate and business planning. Estate and business planning gives you control over your assets from beyond the grave. What if you wish for your money to go to your daughter and not her new husband? Estate planning guarantees your baby girl receives the assets she deserves.

What if your business is sued? You may find yourself personally liable for judgment against your business and at risk of losing everything. When your assets are in a trust, they cannot be reached by creditors, litigation, bankruptcy or divorce.

In other words, for asset protection,Giselle avoids calories and you avoid creditors. 

To learn more about asset protection through estate planning visit http://wfplaw.com/Personal-Asset-Protection.html

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.

 In August of 2014, we were all shocked to hear about the tragic death of Robin Williams. What some of us may question is whether his assets were protected? Mr. Williams decided to opt out of a will and leave separate trusts for his three children and his current spouse. Which is great to keep documentation private and to leave out the long dreadful process of probate. However, in Mr. Williams’ case, his records were revealed. Why? Because he failed to appoint a successor trustee. The original trustee of the trusts had died leaving it up to the California probate court to appoint a successor trustee. Once documentation gets put into the court’s hands, it becomes public record. Unfortunately his plan to keep documentation private failed.

In this case, Mr. Williams did plan in advance and tried to keep his affairs outside of probate court, but, his trusts required a little more planning. Without proper planning, you can encounter some bumps in the road.

Here at WFP Law we ensure that you have a backup plan. Let us help you make the right decisions when it comes to Estate Planning in Florida. Come in today for a free consultation and learn how to avoid situations like these.

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.

Probate is a legal process that takes place after someone dies. This includes:

1. Proving to the Court that the Will is valid
2. Identifying and recording the deceased’s personal items
3. Appraising the property
4. Paying remaining taxes and debts
5. Providing remaining property to heirs

Just five simple steps, right? Wrong.

By reading the aforementioned process, you must believe probate goes something like this…

Grandma dies, grandma’s will is read by the court, grandma pays her taxes, then grandma gives her prized mahjong set to her favorite son. The family then skips off into sunset and lives happily ever after.

In an ideal world, we would all be eating milk and cookies while listening to the final requests of Bubbe. But the truth is, probate is a long, arduous, stressful process that does not include milk and cookies. In fact, by the time you are done with probate, you might feel like you are on the verge of death yourself.

Like your mother-in-law, probate is something you might want to avoid. But unlike your mother-in-law, probate is something you can avoid by visiting with an estate planning attorney and setting up a revocable trust.

It would behoove you to work with the estate-planning attorneys at Wild Felice & Partners and avoid the hell on earth called probate.

Here are three ways to avoid probate:

1. Living Trust: Living trusts were invented to avoid probate. Any asset held as part of a trust will avoid probate. This is so important so we will repeat that, any property within a trust will avoid probate. After the death of your loved one, the trustee can easily and quickly transfer the trust property to the family or friends it was designated to, without probate.

2. Joint Ownership of Property: By adding someone else to take title on your property, the papers show ownership. Therefore, when the owner dies, the property goes to the other joint-owner – no probate involved. However, you should NEVER own something with someone you aren’t married to. There are asset protection and tax consequences to doing to.

3. Gifts/Beneficiary Designations: Giving away property while you’re alive helps you avoid probate for a very simple reason: If you don’t own it when you die, it doesn’t have to go through probate. That lowers probate costs because, as a general rule, the higher the monetary value of the assets that go through probate, the higher the expense. However, be prepared to pay gift tax for any gift over $14,000 in a given year. Gifting at the time of death, via Trust or beneficiary designation, is much more affordable.

Losing a loved one is already a stressful and arduous experience. Why would you chose to allow your family to suffer through probate during their time of mourning? It is recommended to contact an estate-planning attorney to ensure your assets are all protected, including the mahjong set.