As Hurricane Season beings this Sunday, June 1st, it would be wise to ensure that you are prepared for yet another potentially dangerous hurricane season. While many will gather materials and check their safety plans whenever hurricane season rolls around, few check their estate plans and prepare for their legal and financial futures. In fact many have done no planning at all and risk losing everything they have earned working so hard for over the years. Make sure your estate plans are set and you are prepared TODAY for anything that may happen tomorrow.

You can take full advantage of an estate plan which includes a Living Trust, Will, Durable Power of Attorney, and the Designation of a Healthcare surrogate. All of these estate planning tools will protect you and your family virtually indefinitely by ensuring that should anything happen to you all the plans will be in place. You could even take advantage of avoiding probate with the creation of a trust, potentially saving you and your loved ones thousands of dollars.

It’s a Wild world. Are you protected?SM

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.

The Pacers can talk the talk, but on game four they showed they couldn’t walk the walk. In game four, the Heat proved that is all about being prepared when it really counts and now, they are going to Indianapolis to finish up the series.

Being prepared and able to “put your money where your mouth is” is as important in sports, as it is in our every day life.  You have the power to take charge of your matters and most importantly, planning your estate. Just like the Heat cannot predict when they will win, we cannot predict or control when we are going to die. However, we can put our game face on plan ahead.  Do not let your fate be in the hands of someone else; you should be actively planning ahead to take charge of your future.

In South Florida, if you die without a will all of your assets will be automatically distributed “per stirpes.” The danger in this is that you lose all control over who will receive your estate, and your intentions become irrelevant. The statutory scheme may leave out groups of loved ones, such as stepchildren; and does not protect beneficiaries that are not mature enough to deal with a large inheritance. Such issues are unlimited, but can be avoided through proper estate planning.

By utilizing estate planning techniques, you can protect yourself and your family from unnecessary hassles while safeguarding your assets. Through a variety of estate planning tools, including Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Surrogates, Funding Techniques, and more; you can make your “safe” burglar proof!

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and business succession planning, 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

Nothing says happy mother’s day like a bouquet of beautiful flowers. However it may sometimes be difficult to find the perfect arrangement of flowers that will fit mom’s style and your budget.  Shopping around can be fun, but only when the shopping is of something you know about.  Decisions on estate planning on the other hand, are not as simple as choosing a color and a style. The planning process takes time and varies depending on the particular circumstances of each individual. An estate plan is a living entity; as factors in your life change, your plan should be altered accordingly. With the assistance of the right attorney you can choose from a variety of estate-planning techniques in Florida to create an estate plan that fits your needs and wishes such as:

• Living Trust & Assignment of Property – a living trust allows you to distribute your assets while ultimately avoiding probate (the legal process of determining whether a will is valid). Re-examine your income stream and how you will want your assets distributed after your death. This is a good time to look at your entire estate and determine if you will need additional tax planning.
• Last Will & Testament – this is your traditional will that is used upon death to distribute property to beneficiaries, specify last wishes, and name guardians for minor children. You may want to change who you have designated as a guardian, or burial requests.
• Durable Power of Attorney – this allows you to designate and authorize someone to legally act on your behalf, in the event that you become incapacitated. As time goes on, you may want to change who will have the power to make financial decisions on your behalf. Furthermore, you want to ensure that your power of attorney document provides “super powers” to allow the agent to make decisions regarding retirement accounts, public benefits, gift exemptions, disclaiming property, and similar provisions that have financial consequences to your estate.
• Combination Living Will & Designation of Healthcare Surrogate – this outlines important healthcare decisions in advance, and appoints a healthcare surrogate to make healthcare decisions for you when you become unable to do so yourself. You may decide that you will not want any life prolonging procedures in the event that you have one of the following conditions: (i) terminal condition (ii) end-state condition; or (iii) persistent vegetative state. In this case, you want to ensure that you have such wishes outlined in your living will.

It’s a Wild world. Are you protected?SM

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.

The lucky Power Ball winner claimed his prize on April Fool’s day however his price of $425 Million was no joke. Apparently the idea of being a millionaire has not affected his judgment, he kept his big win a secret until he had his financial and legal plan in place. Now that he has come forward to claim his prize it is important for him that his identity remains a secret from the public.

But why should we all wait for a strike of luck to plan ahead? There are plans you can set in place to ensure that you maintain control in the event of life’s unexpected surprises. An estate plan can give you piece of mind even if you can’t predict when your lucky stars will align in your favor. Whether your priorities are privacy or protection of your loved ones, with the right attorney you can ensure that your plans live on.

By utilizing estate-planning techniques, you can protect yourself and your family from unnecessary hassles, while safeguarding your current  assets and any other asset your lucky stars  brings your way.

It’s a Wild world. Are you protected?SM

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.

Nearly three weeks ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished. Australian authorities said Friday that they have shifted the search area to a different patch of ocean. Today, the saga continues in trying to find an answer and more importantly, the plane itself.

It is events such as these where we are reminded how unexpected life can be, recognizing that you can never be too prepared for tomorrow. This occurrence leaves us with an abundance of uncertainty and makes clear that you have no control over your fate. However, with the right attorney you can ensure that your plans live on. There is a variety of estate-planning techniques in Florida that can be used to protect yourself and your family from a burdensome situation in uncertain times.

Living Trust – a living trust has become the best way to maintain control over all of your assets and distributions, while avoiding the hassle, expense, and lack of privacy associated with probate.

Durable Power of Attorney – this allows you to designate and authorize someone to legally act on your behalf, in the event that you become incapacitated.

Combination Living Will & Designation of Healthcare Surrogate– this outlines important healthcare decisions in advance, and appoints a healthcare surrogate to make healthcare decisions for you when you become unable to do so yourself. You may decide that you will not want any life prolonging procedures in the event that you have one of the following conditions: (i) terminal condition (ii) end-state condition; or (iii) persistent vegetative state. In this case, you want to ensure that you have such wishes outlined in your living will.

It’s a Wild world. Are you protected?SM

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.

February is the month of heart shaped chocolates and cards that express how your heart belongs/beats/flutters/etc. for your Valentine. Thus, it’s not necessarily an ideal time to be confronted with the grave reminder of how fleeting life can be, and the importance of planning for the unknown. However, for many, such planning is for the benefit of family and loved ones. Although we have little control over our fate, you can ensure that your loved ones are protected in the event of your own sickness or death. The following estate planning documents can be customized to ensure that your loved one’s are protected, not only in health, but also in sickness and death.

• Last Will & Testament – used to distribute property to beneficiaries (or a trust), specify last wishes, and name guardians for minor children. You can use a pour over will that funnels all of your property into the trust, to ensure greater asset protection for your loved ones.
• Living Trust – gain control, asset protection, & preclusion of unnecessary taxes; designate a trustworthy (no pun) Trustee. You can further provide that your assets continue in trust for the benefit of your loved ones, providing them greater protection from the claims of others.
• Durable Power of Attorney – gain control by designating someone to legally act on your behalf. There are many types of POA’s (“power of attorney”), but a “Durable” power of attorney means the power will be in effect even when you become incapacitated. Therefore, ensuring that any important business related decisions can be made in the event that you cannot make them yourself.
• Living Will & Designation of Healthcare Surrogate – make important healthcare decisions for yourself in advance. Determine who can access your health records and make medical decisions on your behalf.

 Ensure that you’re heart beats for your loved ones – even when it doesn’t! 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