Blog
An Unlawfully Dishonored Living Will – Part 1
Living Will: "Brain Dead But Kept Alive" By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. December 29, 2014 A Living Will is a document that enables you to choose your preference for being kept alive artificially on life support in the event that you are in a persistent...
What You Need to Know about Estate Planning When You Are Single and Childless
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 3, 2019 What You Need to Know about Estate Planning When Single and Childless Most people think of estate planning as a way to pass down assets to their spouse and children. Because of this, those who are single and childless may put...
Failing to Remove (or Add) Beneficiaries From Your Estate Plan
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 23, 2020 Failing to Remove (or Add) Beneficiaries From Your Estate Plan If you asked yourself when was the last time you updated your will, what would you say? If you’re part of the majority of people in America, the answer is likely...
Protect Life Insurance Payouts from Creditors with Trusts – Part 1
Protect Life Insurance Payouts from Creditors with Trusts - Part 1 By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. July 21, 2015 Life insurance can be a valuable financial asset and effective estate planning tool. As a general rule, the proceeds of a life insurance policy are paid to a...
Florida Probate Court: What Is Venue and Why Does It Matter?
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. July 13, 2017 With the diversity and popularity of our state, probate matters can get quite interesting at times. In addition to citizens of the state who pass away here, there are also tourists, retirees, snowbirds, various other...
Epstein Trust Created Two Days Prior to Suicide
January 16, 2019 By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. Epstein Trust Created Two Days Prior to Suicide Jeffery Epstein has been back in the news recently as people speculate the true cause of his death. It was pronounced as a suicide in August 2019, but his brother,...
Beware of the Single-Member Limited Liability Company
April 29, 2013 By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. Beware of the Single-Member Limited Liability Company (LLC) Limited Liability Company (LLC) interests are characterized as personal property under Florida Law. Everyone that forms a business entity to limit their...
What Is a Trust?
What Is a Trust? By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. March 27, 2014 A trust is an incredibly valuable and versatile tool that can enable you to accomplish many of your estate and business planning objectives. There are all kinds of different types of trusts out there, many with...
The Perils of Administering a Trust in Florida
The Perils of Administering a Trust in Florida By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 20, 2015 If a loved one or close friend asks you to serve as administrator for their trust, chances are good that you’re going to say yes. After all, they are trusting you with an estate...
03 – Types of Estate Administration (Probate): Formal v. Summary Administration
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. November 28, 2017 Types of Estate Administration (Probate): Formal v. Summary Administration There are two main types of estate administrations, which are commonly referred to as probate. They are very similar and also very different....
How Your Parents and Grandparents’ Lack of Planning Can Impact Your Family
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 9, 2020 How Your Parents and Grandparents’ Lack of Planning Can Impact Your Family You may have your will sorted out and up to date, but do your parents or grandparents have their estate plan in order? Six out of ten...
13 – How Does Haimo Law Help Families Get Organized?
How does Haimo Law help families get organized? Haimo Law offers clients its proprietary document called the “Snapshot”, which concisely collects all the client’s material information relating to estate planning, financial planning, and medical information. It...
Probate – Notice to Creditors – Part 1
Probate - Notice to Creditors - Part 1 By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. March 3, 2014 Probate (also referred to as "estate administration") is something you generally want to avoid. However, there are circumstances where probate does offer some advantages. This post...
Will Your Estate Plan Be Impacted by the New Tax Law? It’s Going into Effect This Year
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. December 27, 2018 Will Your Estate Plan Be Impacted by the New Tax Law? It's Going into Effect This Year This is a big year in tax reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was passed last year, and taxpayers will feel its effects this coming...
Kristoff St. John’s Daughter Questions Handwritten Will Validity
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 2, 2020 Kristoff St. John’s Daughter Questions Handwritten Will Validity It’s been over eight months since The Young and the Restless star Kristoff St. John died. His death at the age of 53 made many headlines, but the main reason that...
Probate: Beast or Burden
Probate: Beast or Burden I said it before, and I'll say it again: probate is time consuming, expensive and unpredictable. It presses a lot of emotional pressure points that can really be a terrible burden on your family. I've seen it both professionally and...
Why Your College-Bound Kid Needs a Health Care Surrogate
Why Your College-Bound Kid Needs a Health Care Surrogate By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. March 12, 2015 Confident, optimistic, and eager to take on the world, your college-bound child might not be thrilled with the idea of signing away even a small bit of privacy to...
Florida’s New Health Care Surrogate Statute
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. May 24, 2016 The New Health Care Surrogate Statute A Health Care Surrogate is a critical document in any estate plan. Essentially, it enables the person executing the document -- known as the principal -- to designate one or more people...
When Does a Power of Attorney Become Effective
When Does a Power of Attorney Become Effective By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. March 3, 2016 Depending on your purpose for creating a Power of Attorney, you can allow someone else to act on your behalf in a variety of situations, both specific and general. Most Powers of...
Art, Collectibles, Heirlooms — How to Estate Plan for Hard Assets
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. December 20, 2018 Art, Collectibles, Heirlooms — How to Estate Plan for Hard Assets It’s common for people to transfer liquid assets such as cash, bonds, and stocks in a will or trust. Hard assets like art, collectibles, and heirlooms can be...
What’s a Health Care Surrogate?
What's a Health Care Surrogate? April 6, 2013 By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. A health care surrogate is similar to a power of attorney. It appoints someone to act on your behalf, but is limited to health care decisions rather than financial and administrative...
How a Power of Attorney Can Be Abused
How a Power of Attorney Can Be Abused By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. February 5, 2015 Imagine you were going to give someone access to your bank account, retirement and savings accounts, and property. You’d feel better about giving that access to someone you trust,...
Living WIll: Hospital Keeps Brain Dead Pregnant Woman Alive Against Her and Her Family’s Wishes
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. January 24, 2014 Living Will: Hospital Keeps Brain Dead Pregnant Woman Alive Against Her and Her Family's Wishes In Texas, paramedic Marlise Munoz has been unresponsive since November when her husband found her on the kitchen floor of...
What You Should Know About the SECURE Act
By: Barry E. Haimo, Esq. December 12, 2019 What You Should Know About the SECURE Act Do you know how much you have saved for retirement? And how long that money will last? More and more Americans are beginning to fear that they will outlive their...
14 – Who Keeps My Original Executed Documents?
Who keeps my original executed documents? It is generally the firm policy to retain the original documents for safekeeping. You will receive copies of your documents electronically via a secure link or other means if you would prefer. They will also be...