NUMBER 1. Doing nothing is far and away the worst way to leave Florida estates. Doing nothing allows the state to decide who gets your estate, who manages your estate, when they get it and if you have minor children, who raises them for you. You forfeit the right to make these important decisions only you should make and all the huge estate savings you are entitled to under Florida law by doing nothing.

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Not having a Living Will, Medical and General Durable Power of Attorney, allows the court, not you, to appoint who makes medical decisions and manages your financial affairs for you should you become mentally or physically unable to do so yourself. It also takes away your right to decide what continuing medical care you want if you become terminally ill or permanently comatose. In far too many cases, the people a court appoints are only in it for the money and charge the most. You should make all these important decisions! Don’t forfeit these legal rights either because it can cost you dearly, not only in a lot of money, but also in the quality and kind of the care you want and get.​

 

NUMBER 2. Leaving over $75,000 in assets, your home or other Florida real estate to anyone or leaving valuable assets to a minor in a Will. Leaving over $75,000 in assets and Florida real estate in a Will can require costly, complex and lengthy probate court involvement. Leaving valuable assets to a minor can require costly probate and even more costly and more lengthy court guardianship.​

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Leaving a home or other Florida real estate in your name, regardless of its value, does not require a Will or lawyer to safely leave it or a Living Trust to safely avoid probate on it under Florida law. A Florida Enhanced Life Estate Deed can safely do this and save 100% of the $1,000s to $10,000s in huge estate expenses a Will and Living Trust, just like doing nothing can require to receive these assets. Title to real estate stays safely 100% in your name(s) alone and is then transferred automatically to those you want to have it immediately upon your death. Far simpler, far faster and far more affordable than using any Will, Living Trust or doing nothing!

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NUMBER THREE: Using a costly Living Trust to avoid probate on assets that DO NOT REQUIRE a Living Trust to safely avoid probate under Florida law. It’s an expensive legal fallacy that you have to put all your assets in a Living Trust to avoid probate. Florida law allows the most valuable assets in the majority of Florida estates to safely, easily and affordably avoid probate without using a Living Trust. These assets are the ones that have pay on death beneficiaries listed in the FREE estate instructions.

 

This avoids the costly legal hassle and expense of putting them into a Living Trust and then taking them out of the trust after you pass away and making them subject to huge legal fees, the claims of estate creditors and months or years of complex legal delays. A lawyer is not required to do this. There is no easier, quicker and more affordable way for loved ones to receive these specific assets under Florida law.

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NUMBER FOUR: Adding someone on as a co-owner of your assets other than your spouse. This can allow creditors of the person you name as a co-owner to seize these assets. If the asset has appreciated in value since you purchased it, the co-owner may have to pay far more in taxes when it is sold after your death. You also lose sole lose control over what you can do with that asset yourself.

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All four of these costly mistakes can be prevented using one or both of the $49 estate plans on this site.