Seasons Change, Estate Planning Needs Remain

It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for summer holidays and activities with family and friends, and now school is back in session, with fall right around the corner.

Many of us are noticing a lot of first-day-of-school pictures shared on social media. It is wonderful seeing photographs of students who we knew as small children starting their senior year of high school or being dropped off for their first semester of college.

It is hard to believe how quickly time seems to have gone by, and yet it has and will continue to do so. Just as seasons of the year change, so do seasons of our lives, and it can feel like times moving faster as we get older.

These reminders of the passing of time can also help us focus on our what’s really important to us. One important way to do so it to assess our personal and family situations and to ensure that we are doing the best we can to take care of ourselves and our loved ones.

Reviewing or establishing your Estate Plan is a way to help you do so.

If it has been a while since you last updated your plan with our office, please remember that a review and update is typically needed:

1. If more than 3 years have passed since you signed your planning documents;

2. If new children have been born or adopted;

3. If your children have now become adults;

4. If you have become a grandparent;

5. If there has been a significant change in the value or composition of your planning assets;

6. If you have disposed of specific assets which were going to a named beneficiary;

7. If one or more of your named beneficiaries have deceased or are now under a disability;

8. If one or more of your named fiduciaries, agents, or surrogates have deceased, are now under a disability, or are no longer appropriate to serve for you;

9. If there have been significant tax law changes since you signed your plan; or

10. If there have been significant Florida law changes since you signed your plan.

Our compassionate and caring Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney is here for you is sensitive to you and your family’s unique needs and concerns.

Our Elder Law and Estate Planning Law Office has the knowledge, experience, and empathy necessary to guide you in preparing a Will or Trust, or in legally representing you in a Probate or Trust Administration. If you have any concerns about Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney, Designation of Health Care Surrogate, or managing the costs of long-term care, we are here for you. With offices located in Orange Park and St. Augustine, we are here to help you and your loved ones have more peace of mind.

Grady H. Williams, Jr., LL.M.: Your Florida First Coast Elder Law Attorney.