Articles
What if There is No Will?
If a person dies without a valid will, his or her probate estate is known as an “intestate” estate. When a decedent dies intestate, the probate assets are almost never turned over to the State of Florida. The heirs are the people who are related to the decedent. They are described in the Florida statute […]
Read Article >>Do I Need a Will?
A will is a legal document that is signed by the decedent and two witnesses according to Florida law. In the will, the decedent names the beneficiaries who are to receive the decedent’s probate assets. In essence, the will is a letter to the Court advising the judge on how the decedent wants his or […]
Read Article >>Why is Probate Needed?
In order to pass ownership of the decedent’s probate assets to the decedent’s beneficiaries, probate is necessary. When the decedent leaves a valid will, it will be ineffective to pass ownership of probate assets to the decedent’s beneficiaries until the will is admitted for probate in the court. Probate is still necessary to pass the […]
Read Article >>What is Probate?
The term probate is used in several different ways. It can refer to the filing of a will with a court office, but is more generally known as the process supervised by the court to identify and distribute the decedent’s assets to the beneficiaries, while also paying his or her lawful debts. The probate process […]
Read Article >>What is Probate and Why do I Need to do Estate Planning?
What is Probate? Probate is the process for transferring the assets of a deceased person to those persons or entities that are legally entitled to such assets. It is a court supervised process where a judge determines the beneficiaries of the decedent, requires the payment of all lawful debts, and ensures that the proper parties […]
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