Articles Tagged with Estate Planning

By: Jacqueline R. Bowden Gold, Miami Lakes Estate Planning Attorney

When preparing an estate plan everyone plans for distribution or preservation of their assets to make sure their minor child, adult child or families are taken care of. People often overlook planning for the event of being mentally incapacitated and asking this important question: What if you are just not available? Covid-19 has given people a new perspective with the overwhelming amount of hospitalizations. Front line workers are often forced to make the difficult decision of being separated from their minor children to avoid them contracting the virus.

Now more important than ever every parent should plan for guardianship of their minor children.

by: Phillip B. Rarick, Esq.

We have been helping small business owners survive and thrive – in good times and bad – for over 25 years. Here is how we may be able to help you in this current challenging business environment.

1.    Contract Review and Force Majeure. A Force Majeure clause is a standard clause in many contracts. If you have a contract you are trying to get out of – or the reverse – if you have a person trying to nullify performance under your existing contract the interpretation of the “Force Majeure” clause will be a determining factor.

by: Phillip B. Rarick, Esq.

Here is the good news/bad news I received from my bank today regarding my Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application:  The good news:  your application has been approved; the bad: the SBA is out of money and you must wait for Congress to refund the program!

Although I have heard of a few small businesses that have received funding I am guessing that most persons reading this letter have encountered similar frustrations. Note: if you have received funding, please so reply.

by: Phillip B. Rarick, Esq.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has changed the world as we know it and presented daunting challenges we have not encountered in our life time. It requires a total review of your estate plan and business entities to assure you are taking full advantage of Florida laws designed to protect your family and business.

The hard new reality: What plan was best for you prior to 2020 may not be what is best for you today

by: attorney Phillip B. Rarick

You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else. –   Winston Churchill.

Millions of small business owners and self-employed have filed for loans under the  Paycheck Protection Program because part or all of the loan can be forgiven if you retain your employees and maintain their salary levels.

By Phil Rarick, Esq., Miami Trust Attorney

Family law attorneys are increasingly using trusts to secure and safeguard the payment of financial obligations in their marital settlement agreements.  Such trusts can provide the following key benefits:

  • Security that payments will be made in a timely fashion

12 Point Summary of Florida Successor Trustee Duties

Note: Trust administration requires strict compliance with the trust terms and often analysis of complex tax requirements. A trustee is a fiduciary and is held to a high standard of care under Florida law. If you are a successor trustee, we can help. It is important that you follow the advice of an experienced Trust Administration Attorney to avoid or reduce estate taxes or income taxes and to protect yourself against personal liability. Not only are the expenses of an attorney and CPA typically considered routine trust expenses, but failure to utilize such services can expose the trustee to personal liability.

  1. Show Loyalty To All Trust Beneficiaries. Even if the successor trustee is himself a beneficiary, as trustee he has the duty of loyalty to all the other beneficiaries, including the remaindermen. Remaindermen are beneficiaries who do not have a current interest in the trust income or principal, but have a future interest in the trust.

By Phillip B. Rarick, Esq.,  Weston Asset Protection Attorney

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande is a current, hot selling book written by a physician and advising how to get things right by implementing commonsense systems.

In today’s modern medicine, coupled with our information age, where virtually every procedure can be scrutinized by an “expert” easily found on Google, it should be standard procedure for every doctor to have a comprehensive asset protection plan –  one that is up-to-date to  meet the challenges of our fast-changing legal system.

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