BLOGS

Leaving money directly to a child with a disability is the most natural instinct a parent has, and in Florida it can end that child's SSI and Medicaid. This post explains the 2,000 dollar problem, why a will and beneficiary designations backfire, the difference between first-party and third-party special needs trusts, and how a revocable living trust you control today can convert into a protective trust for your child at exactly the right moment.

In Florida, naming two children on your power of attorney feels even-handed. But unless the document says otherwise, either agent can act alone, no agreement required. For parents who named two children hoping to force cooperation, that default is the opposite of what they wanted. Learn what joint and independent authority mean under Florida law, how to plan for a deadlock, and how to check what your own document actually says.

The pour-over will is the most misunderstood document in your estate planning binder. It is never the star of the plan, and it is quietly the reason the plan survives real life. Learn what a Florida pour-over will actually does, the one thing it cannot do, why funding your trust decides everything, and why it matters most for families protecting a loved one with a disability.

A special needs trust is only as strong as the person running it. The wrong trustee can quietly cost a child SSI and Medicaid, even when the document is drafted perfectly. Learn who can serve as trustee in Florida, who should never take the role, the five mistakes that do the most damage, and how a simple trustee review protects the plan you worked so hard to build. If you'd rather run a shorter version for the feed preview, here's a 131-character option that matches the met

Undue influence rarely looks like a crime. It often wears the face of a devoted caregiver. Learn how Florida law defines it, who carries the burden of proof, the warning signs families can watch for, and why one private meeting with an attorney is the simplest way to confirm a plan reflects your parent's wishes, not someone else's.

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.