The start of a new year offers the perfect opportunity to get organized, and few things are more important to organize than your estate planning documents. Your estate plan affects decision-making during your lifetime and beyond, but you can only be fully protected if you have all the right documents. It is essential to review your plan if you have documents prepared when you lived in a different state. Let’s take a look at what you need in Florida. Everyone Needs an Up-to-Date Will You need a will, and it needs to meet Florida requirements, which differ from some other jurisdictions. If you have a revocable living trust set up to allow your assets to pass directly to beneficiaries, you still should have a pour-over will. That document covers any property that does not get transferred into the trust for one reason or another. If you executed your will years…

Essentially every adult leaves an estate when they pass away. An estate is just a legal term describing the financial affairs you leave behind. Someone will need to pay your final bills, and someone will receive any assets left over. That may not mean much to you. But it is important to realize that having a proper estate plan can not only reduce waste and ensure your wishes are honored after your death, but your plan can also protect you during your lifetime. To see why you need an estate plan, let’s take a look at what happens when you don’t have one. If You Become Incapacitated, No One Can Help A thorough estate plan can provide for your medical and financial needs if you are in an accident or get sick and are unconscious and unable to communicate. Without the right estate planning documents, no one can access your…