A Six Step Process For Estate Planning In Tampa
Estate planning conveys your wishes in the event the unexpected happens and protects your loved ones, preventing disputes or sparing them from having to guess what you might have wanted. Our Tampa estate planning attorney outlines a simple, six step process that can help ensure you have the appropriate documents in place.
Follow These Six Steps To Create A Tampa Estate Plan
There are numerous websites today that offer advice and general forms used in estate planning. However, to ensure any documents created conform to legal requirements under the Florida Statutes, consult with our experienced Tampa estate planning attorney. The following are six steps we recommend clients take as part of the process:
- Inventory all property and assets.
A will is one of the most basic yet important estate planning documents. It should provide a complete inventory of all your property and assets. This includes your home, car, furniture, and other personal belongings. Provide a detailed list of online assets as well, including cryptocurrency, websites, and social media usernames and passwords, along with any shares in businesses, investments, and money in savings, checking, or retirement accounts.
- Identify who you want to inherit from your estate.
Carefully consider who you wish to inherit from your estate. This may include your spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, or other relatives and friends. Consider whether you want to leave anything to non-profits or other organizations as well, which may provide some tax benefits.
- Determine whether any loved ones have specialized needs.
If you have young children, elderly parents, or other loved ones with special needs, consider creating a trust. This allows for more detailed distributions. It can also specify how money is used or conditions that must be met prior to payment, such as requiring treatment for a loved one with drug or alcohol problems.
- Select a qualified person you trust to act as your personal representative.
You will need to name someone to act as your personal representative in the Hillsborough County Probate Court. This should be someone you trust who has other qualifications, such as being good at handling money, and time to devote to the task.
- Consider your options in terms of advance directives.
Advance directives convey your wishes in the event you are incapacitated. Consider who you want to make medical decisions on your behalf and the types of life-saving or life-sustaining treatments you would want.
- Consider other protections.
If you have young children or significant amounts of debt, you may want to consider investing in life insurance policies. You may also want to consider a Medicaid trust, which can help offset future long-term care costs.
Request A Consultation With Our Tampa Estate Planning Attorney
At Strategic Counsel Law Group, L.C., we can guide you in creating an estate plan that suits your specific needs. For trusted legal guidance in putting the appropriate legal documents in place, contact our Tampa estate planning attorney and request a consultation today.
Sources:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0732/0732ContentsIndex.html
hillsclerk.com/court-services/probate-guardianship-and-trust
