What Can Be Learned From A-Rod’s Family Dispute?
Former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) and his ex-brother-in-law, Constantine Scurtis, are joint owners of a Miami-area real estate venture that reportedly owns and operates 5,000 units [...]
Are You a Super-Duper Influencer or Just a Super Influencer?
The term "super influencer" has emerged as a public figure critical to a brand's success, amassing followers and shortly after wealth. Most likely, it'll be your teenager [...]
Why Estate Planning Matters During Coronavirus and What You Can Do to Prepare
The outbreak of Coronavirus has people all over the world thinking about their advanced directives. While this topic is generally annoying to think about (adulting is annoying) [...]
What Can Be Learned From Madonna’s Co-Op Board Fight?
It all started in 2008 when Madonna bought her Manhattan pad for $7.3 million sans guest restrictions. In 2014, the co-op board changed the rules and one [...]
What Can be Learned from Katy Perry’s Real Estate fight with G-d?
She actually fought with two Catholic nuns, but almost the same thing, no? Katy's woes began in 2013 when she brought a convent that had been [...]
What Can Be Learned From Bethenny Frankel’s Real Estate Debacle?
It all started when the former Real Housewife wanted to hide her identity during the purchase of her $5 million Tribeca apartment. The genius that she is, [...]
What Can Be Learned from Kenny Rodger’s Estate
The legendary county singer, Kenny Rogers passed away on March 20 at the age of 81. The six-decade superstar sustained 5 marriages and a restaurant chain. Given [...]
Henry VIII of England and Florida Surviving Spouse’s Homestead
Florida Homestead laws, actually a part of the Florida constitution, are difficult to navigate and what better guide than King Henry VIII and his former 6 wives! [...]
You’re out of My Will and You Know Why
I'm just kidding, you have no idea why. I did just see that clause in a Will this week and wanted to share with my friends. LOL [...]
Controversial Florida Vacation Rental Laws
It's getting hot in the sunshine state, a bit of local real estate news for you. This blog is not just beautiful, it's smart too ;-) This [...]
What can be learned from Megxit
By now, we've all digested the controversial news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping down as senior royals and moving to Canada. A lot of [...]
What Can Be Learned from Peter Stringfellow’s Estate
Strip club king Peter Stringfellow left only a £1M estate despite amassing a £37M fortune. Flamboyant Peter, who died in June of 2018 at the age of [...]
Sometimes They Get It Right – Florida Open Permit Law Changes
Last month, the Florida statute has been amended to provide a clearer process for property owners to close out old, expired permits. There are several noteworthy provisions; [...]
Sin Protection, Should Your Company Hold Disgrace Insurance?
Reputations are fragile, to say the least. Pervasive videos and social media, supercharged by #MeToo, can result in high-profile disasters (think Kevin Spacey, Roseanne and Lori Laughlin) [...]
To Be or Not to Be – Assisted Suicide aka Death with Dignity
America is such a large country; it makes sense to me that the individual states differ. We even have a name for when state and federal laws [...]
Florida E-Notarization?
Well, it’s happening guys. I guess it was only a matter of time, but Florida has moved one step closer to digitizing documents and we now have [...]
What Can Be Learned from Gloria Vanderbilt’s Estate Plan
Gloria Vanderbilt, the railroad fortune heiress, left most of the Vanderbilt fortune to her youngest son, Anderson Cooper. On a personal note, I just love Cooper’s giggle, [...]
It May Pay to Get Cheated On
Reminiscent of an Ally McBeal episode, just a few weeks ago, a North Carolina man sued his ex-wife's lover and was awarded $750,000. The man, Robert Kevin [...]
Oops We Did It Again – We’re Expecting….
Yet ANOTHER attorney to join our firm!! We're so fortunate and honored to welcome Mr. Jeffrey Homer as an of counsel attorney to the Law Offices of [...]
Breaking News – Aretha Franklin Had Three Wills
Hang on to your hats people, Aretha Franklin had THREE Wills! If you recall, I recently wrote an especially titillating article about how the Queen of Soul passed away [...]
Here We Go Again(ish) – What Can We Learn from John Singleton’s Estate?
The Boys N' The Hood director passed away on Monday, April 29, 2019 with an estate estimated at $35M and a Will from 1993. Although a Will [...]
Estate Planning, a Family Affair
It happens sometimes. Not to me, because I have the BEST clients ever, that read my crazy newsletters diligently (love you too baby)! But my estate planning lawyer [...]
We’re Expecting….
Another attorney to join our firm! LOL, I couldn't resist. We're fortunate and honored to welcome Mr. Michael Abrams as an of counsel attorney to the Law [...]
Chill, We Have a Trust for Cryonics
Cryonics is the practice of deep-freezing recently dead bodies in the hope that scientific advances will allow them to be revived in the future. The next logical [...]
Blackbeard’s Blockchain
If this story is reminiscent of Pirate treasures buried in the Caribbean in the 17th Century, that's because it is. The booty, in this case, cryptocurrency and [...]
Could a “Private Sexual Oasis” Increase Your Property Value?
You can’t make this stuff up. A house in Philadelphia, listed for $750,000, features pictures that strongly resemble a sex dungeon. The description demurely referred to the [...]
What Can Be Learned from Mac Miller’s Estate Plan
Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, the rap artist, passed away on September 7 with an estate estimated at 14 million dollars. The [...]
Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin Got Married… Without a Prenup
Although they both reached out to lawyers for a prenup, Justin and Hailey contacted their attorneys the very same day that they got hitched. There’s no way [...]
When Disinheritance Is a Good Thing – the Last Will and Testament of Burt Reynolds
Hollywood star Burt Reynolds intentionally left his son, Quinton, out of his will, but it doesn’t appear to be due to bad blood. The actor known for [...]
What Can Be Learned From George and Barbara Bush’s Estate Plans
George H.W. Bush’s death, less than eight months after his wife’s does not feel like a surprise. We often see the death of a longtime married couple [...]
Who’s Your Daddy?
What happens when a self-made millionaire leaves most of his fortune to his son, only for a paternity test to reveal there was no biological relation between [...]
Law and Wills – Celebrity Victims Unit
In the estate planning process, beneficiary designation mistakes are considered especially costly. In Florida, dedicated attorneys who handle wills, trusts and probate matters are members of an [...]
Why Every Realtor Should Have an Established Attorney-Relationship
I was recently speaking with a new friend, a realtor, and she was telling me an all too familiar tale. There was a deal, it was going [...]
Aretha Franklin Had No Estate Plan
Five people reached out to me to let me know that the Queen of Soul passed away intestate, without a will or trust. You guys are reading [...]
What Can We Learn From Anthony Bourdain’s Estate Plan?
Anthony Bourdain not only loved to explore but also made it a point to inspire others to travel. In his Last Will and Testament, he specifically bequeathed [...]
Death Disrupted: New Technologies to Digitize Life
I spend a lot of my day talking about and planning for death. Until now, it’s been an inevitability of life. However, a la Black Mirror, artificial [...]
Navigating the Trust Agreement Highway
Just like cars, there are many different types of trusts out there for you to select. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, here [...]
Credit Card Debt After Death
One of the most common question I’m asked is, “what happens to my loved-one’s credit card debt when they pass away? More importantly, will it be my [...]
Does Your Trust Need a Facelift?
Hey, we do live in South Florida. But seriously, I come across many trusts created in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s where life was slower, and [...]
Prince’s Estate is a Mess
There’s no other way to say it. Almost two years after the legendary singer died, Prince’s estate is more convoluted than ever. To the best of our [...]
Do Not Resuscitate Tattoo
Just when you think you’ve seen it all….an unconscious patient was brought into a Miami emergency room with the words “Do Not Resuscitate” tattooed across his chest. [...]
Family Holiday Discussions
I'm often asked how to prevent family squabbles once a loved-one passes away. Surprisingly, the answer is to ensure a common understanding of the estate plan. Even [...]
The Worst State to Die In 2017 (from a state death tax perspective)
There are currently 18 states plus the District of Columbia that impose either an estate or inheritance tax or both. Nine of those states are introducing death [...]
A Text Message is No Substitute for a Will
It appears that a gentleman in Queensland, Australia, wrote out a text distributing his property to this brother and nephew and disinheriting his wife and son. He [...]
Bit by Bit – Bitcoin and South Florida Real Estate
Bitcoin is considered the first decentralized digital currency and with or without us, it's already a global phenomenon. Most people that I know want to invest in [...]
Hugh Hefner: An Estate Planning Role Model
In case you haven’t heard, Hugh Hefner “Hef”, the publisher of Playboy Magazine, died last month, at the age of ninety-one. Although his Will was not made [...]
We’ve Moved!!!
Our office has expanded and we moved to our brand new location! Come visit us at 33 NE 2nd Street, Suite 100 in Fort Lauderdale.
National Will Registry Is on the Way
Although Florida has adopted its own code provisions regarding the practice and procedure for admitting lost or destroyed Wills into probate (see Florida Probate Rule 5.510), a [...]
Record Deed Scam – Useless Documents
After recording a deed, I tell my clients to look out for mailings that may look official, but are really a scam. The victims of the deed [...]
Video Shoot in California
We ventured out to Orange County for a video shoot....Hollywood, here we come!
Testimonial on a Monday Morning
I came into the office this morning to the nicest email. Although a testimonial, I couldn't resist posting it as this is what makes our job as [...]
Estate Planning for Same-Sex Unions in Florida
The US Supreme Court, in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013) recently held that for purposes of applying federal law, same-sex married couples residing [...]
Our Firm is Growing!
It's with a great deal of pleasure and excitement that I announce my purchase of the Law Offices of McVeigh & Matlack of Wilton Manors. Linda Matlack [...]
What’s Portability?
More than a fancy word, there are two portability programs I discuss frequently with folks: 1. The Florida Portability Transfer of Homestead, where beginning in 2008 Florida [...]
Estate Planning with Religion in Mind
According to many surveys, 95 percent of Americans believe in G-d or some type of higher power. While some define religion as a belief in G-d, not [...]