BLOGS

A savings account from grandma, birthday bonds from grandpa, an equal share in an aunt’s will: every one is an act of love, and in Florida every one can end a child’s SSI and Medicaid. This post explains why gifts in a child’s name count against benefits, how each common gift vehicle backfires, and how to redirect family generosity to a special needs trust or ABLE account without anyone giving less.

When a Florida power of attorney requires two agents to act together and they cannot agree, the money freezes at the worst possible time. Learn how joint-agent deadlock happens, what Florida law does and does not fix, and how to build in a tie-breaker before you need one.

A custodial account looks like the responsible way to set money aside for a child. For a Florida child with a disability, it is a benefits problem with a delivery date: the money counts against SSI now and pays out to the child outright at 21. This post explains how UTMA accounts work under Florida law, why the child's name on anything is the real issue, and what families should do with accounts that already exist.

The pour-over will is the most misunderstood document in the estate planning binder. It is never the star of the plan, and it is quietly the reason the plan survives real life. This post explains what a pour-over will catches, why it does not avoid probate, how trust funding decides whether your plan works, Florida's strict will formalities, and the extra job this document does for families with a special needs beneficiary.

A Florida guardianship doesn't end when the guardian dies — the court appoints a successor, and without a plan, that decision goes to a judge who's never met your family. This post breaks down how a preneed guardian designation under Florida Statute 744.3045 lets you name your own successor in advance, when a standby guardianship makes more sense instead, and how this planning connects to your special needs trust, will, and power of attorney.

Most families plan for who has authority over their adult child's guardianship today, but few plan for what happens when the guardian is gone. In Florida, a guardianship does not end when the guardian dies. The court appoints a successor, and without a written designation, that choice is made without the family's input. Here is how guardian succession actually works, why an out-of-state guardianship complicates it, and how to make sure the right person steps in