Port St. Lucie Estate Planning

Find the right Wills & Trusts attorney in Port St. Lucie, FL

In Port St. Lucie, estate planning refers to the process of deciding what should be done with one's assets after their death.

The problems that estate planning raises are sometimes very complicated. Without competent legal and financial advice, many problems can pop up, which can easily throw your entire plan into disarray, and cost your survivors a great deal of time, energy, and money.

While planning your estate, there are a few prevalent issues that most people should consider. One big one is the decision relating to power of attorney, which is an arrangement where you give one person the power to make legally-binding decisions on your behalf. You can set up an agreement telling your representative precisely what power they have, what you want them to do, and when the power will vest (typically, if and when you become unable to make your own decisions).

A skilled estate planner in Port St. Lucie can make the process of planning your estate go much more smoothly, and maximize the chances of your wishes directly being carried out with legal force.

Common Features of Port St. Lucie Estates

Will: This is a legal document which transfers ownership of the testator's (the person making the will) property to named beneficiaries after the testator's death. The beneficiaries can be just about anyone the testator chooses, but smaller estates, usually only include family members, and maybe very close friends. If you want, you can place conditions on gifts (say, leaving a certain amount of money to your son, but only if he graduates college before he turns 25 - this is just an example). However, a will can't actually compel anyone to do anything, and some conditional gifts won't be enforced, normally because they involve an illegal act, or require a person to marry or refrain from marrying a particular person.

Living Will: A living will contains instructions about your medical care, usually for the purpose of informing your family and doctors of your preferences if you suddenly become incapacitated. A living will is quite crucial if you have any strong preferences in this area. It should be written with the advice of a doctor, so you know the specific medical consequences of your decisions, and a lawyer, so it is virtually guaranteed to be legally binding.

Power of Attorney: This is an arrangement in which you give someone else, typically a trusted family member, the power to make financial and medical decisions on your behalf, in case you become unable to make or express your own decisions.

Funeral Arrangements: What do you want done with your body after you die? Do you want to be cremated? How about buried? Or maybe you want to be cremated, and have your remains shot into space? Whatever your preference, you won't exactly be able to tell anyone when the time comes. Consequently, you should make your desires on this matter known well in advance. You also shouldn't make your will the only place where these instructions are contained, since it might not be read for weeks after your death, when it will probably be too late.

Do I Need a Port St. Lucie Estates Lawyer?

A flawed estate plan in Port St. Lucie can result in those affected by it being confused as to your intent, which can then lead to disputes between them. A knowledgeable attorney can frequently avoid this confusion by ensuring that there is as little ambiguity as possible in your will and other related documents.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Port St. Lucie

Port St. Lucie is major city in St. Lucie County, Florida. It is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. From the year 2000 to the year 2009, the population of Port St. Lucia, Florida grew from 88,000 to 155,000, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

Tradition Square is one of Port St. Lucie's main residential communities and has been listed as one of America's top 100 communities. It is modeled in a 1950's style and serves as the center of Port St. Lucie. The city is host to an abundance of golf courses, including some top PGA courses. Port St. Lucie is sometimes called "Park St. Lucie", because the city maintains a large number of parks and entertainment centers.

Active development in the city of Port St. Lucie, Florida has also increased the number of employment opportunities in the area. In particular, the Florida Center of Innovation houses two biotech companies- the Vaccine Gene Therapy Institute and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. The Center is a major source of economic activity in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Lawyers in Port St. Lucie, Florida file many legal claims at the St. Lucie County Court ("West Annex Building"). Port St. Lucie lawyers offer legal assistance in a broad range of fields.

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