At Berlin Patten Ebling, our law offices aren’t just committed to representing clients. Our attorneys and real estate marketing team are devoted to serving as your trusted resource on a variety of complex legal matters. So whether you’re searching for our perspective on wills and estate planning to learning about land contracts in Florida, we have a news story or blog post ready for you to read.
The SECURE Act, which stands for “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement” Act, was signed into law at the end of 2019. The Act takes small but impactful steps towards addressing the country’s retirement crisis by incentivizing small business owners to sponsor retirement plans for their employees. Below are
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (“SECURE Act”) was just signed into law on December 20, 2019 and becomes effective January 1, 2020 (less than 2 weeks later!). The Act is the most impactful legislation affecting retirement accounts in decades. The SECURE Act has several positive changes: It increases
As a caregiver, you spend much of your time, money, and energy taking care of the needs of others. Those who have taken on the role of caregivers for ill or disabled spouses, aging parents, children, or other loved ones with special needs are typically selfless and giving individuals who
According to the Pew Research Center, in 2017, there were 44.4 million foreign-born people living in the United States, 55% of whom were non-citizens. As a result, there are many occasions when a non-citizen may be the beneficiary of the estate of a U.S. citizen, for example, if the non-citizen
We’ve been talking a lot about probate in anticipation of our upcoming webinar with attorney Pamela Hernandez. It’s a complicated topic, so it makes sense to spend some time on it. In this final piece on probate, I talked with Pamela specifically about how probate affects title rights and the
When a person dies with a valid last will and testament (“Will”) their Will is authenticated by a court through a process called probate, and the decedent’s assets are transferred in accordance with their Will and Florida law. But what happens when a person dies without a valid Will? The answer is Florida’s “Will Be Done” – that is, the laws
Estate planning attorneys can help you when your family member or loved one dies. If you are simply too overwhelmed to call during the first couple of weeks after your loved one passes away, it is important to keep in mind that there are several practical and legal considerations that
The third week of October is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, a week to highlight one of the most overlooked areas of personal finance management – estate planning. Truth is, everyone has an estate; however, it is estimated that over 50% of Americans do not have an updated estate plan or
Since the enactment of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, the utility of the irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) has been in question. The substantial increase in the federal estate tax exemption–$11.4 million for an individual and $22.8 million for a married couple in 2019-greatly reduced the need
Just like other important life tasks, your estate plan deserves your time and attention. It’s important that you work with us to review your estate plan at least once a year. Think of this as your estate plan’s annual physical exam, and remember-prevention is the best cure. An annual exam
