Attorneys For Drafting Wills And Setting Up Trusts
At the Law Office of Cheryl Bucker, P.A., we listen to your needs and develop an estate plan that is tailored specifically to your goals and priorities. When drafting your will or trust, the solution is simple:
- Create documents that distribute your assets as you intend
- Create a plan that minimizes the time and money your family spends in probate
- Minimize the amount of assets that are lost to estate taxes
- Maximize the amount of assets available for your intended beneficiaries
From our office in Pompano Beach, Florida, we serve clients throughout the area, including those in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Lighthouse Point. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation.
Avoiding Probate Through Trust-Based Estate Planning
If you leave your assets to your family and loved ones in a will, everything you own may pass through probate. The probate process is complicated, time-consuming, costly and open to the public. Trusts eliminate the need for probate administration by directing your trustee to manage, disburse and oversee asset distribution to your beneficiaries.
If you are you married, have children, own your own home, have retirement accounts or life insurance you want to make sure that the probate court does not freeze your assets while trying to determine how your estate should be distributed. With proper planning and the help of our knowledgeable estate planning attorneys, we can help ensure that your family has immediate access to your accounts to pay for expenses without keeping your estate private and outside of probate court.
Types Of Trusts
Revocable trusts may be revoked or changed at any time during the settlor’s lifetime.
Irrevocable trusts, once created, cannot be revoked or otherwise changed by the settlor.
Pet trusts provide for the care and support of your beloved pet. Your pet trust will specify the details concerning the care of your pet, as well as making funds available to ensure that your pet will continue to have a quality life.
Special needs trusts help ensure that your loved one will continue receiving essential benefits under Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid programs, while at the same time providing assets that will supplement, not replace, public benefits.
Answers To Your Most Commonly Asked Questions About Estate Planning.
- Why should I have a will?
- A will allows you to distribute your assets in the way that you wish. Without a will, you will not be in control of how your assets are distributed, or who receives them. A will also allows you to specify guardians for your children and reflect your burial or cremation instructions.
- What happens if I do not have a will?
- Under Florida law, without a will, a surviving spouse inherits everything, if there are no children. If there are children, the spouse must share the estate with the children.
- Is a trust more private than a will?
- Yes. After your death, your will is made part of the public record and anyone will be able to read it. A trust is a private agreement, and only the pour-over will that accompanies the trust will be made part of the public record, keeping your privacy protected.
Schedule A Complimentary Consultation Today
We have over 30 years of experience handling estate planning issues in South Florida, and we are ready to help. To schedule your free initial consultation with our Pompano Beach wills and trusts lawyers, please call 954-773-8983 or toll-free 888-392-5781. You can also contact our office online.