Couples in Florida would be wise to have a contingency plan for just about everything, not under the expectation that the worst will happen, but to be prepared in case it does. One such plan should be a preneed guardian for both yourself and your children. This is a hugely important document that should not be overlooked when you are planning your estate.

The most important tasks these document accomplish is establish guardians for yourself and your minor children, should you become incapacitated….

When the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was legal in all 50 states, many LGBT couples in Florida flocked to the courthouses, altars and everywhere else they could to get hitched. For the younger couples, there was not much to worry about, at least not any time soon. But older gay couples who are finally able to marry may want to consider the impact of doing so when it comes to will planning.

Now-married gay couples fall under the same requirements and restraints as a straight couple….

Many years ago, in a world some can barely remember, computers didn’t exist. If you had important documents, they were handwritten or typed and scattered throughout file cabinets and safes. When someone died, the person in charge of the estate had the unenviable task of locating all of these papers.

Now, in the digital world, these documents are more than likely stored on a computer.  Not only are important documents stored on a computer, or even in a cloud, but personal data such as online accounts for banks and investments, family photos, Facebook and other social media content also reside there….

Boyes, Farina & Matwiczyk, P.A., announced partners William (“Bill”) E. Boyes, John Farina and Peter Matwiczyk have been named to the 2015 Florida Super Lawyers. The recognition is in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate for Mr. Boyes, and Estate and Trust Litigation for Mr. Farina and Mr. Matwiczyk. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Bill Boyes has been Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts and Estates for more than 25 years, and has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell for over 30 years. …

Birth and death. The two defining moments that mark the beginning and end of life. But many other events can happen between those two events that can have life-changing consequences. Marriage and divorce are two of those. With this in mind, the Florida legislature is taking steps to help avoid some of the estate planning pitfalls that can arise.

Here’s a common scenario: on the happy occasion of a marriage, the new husband takes out a life insurance policy on himself with his new wife as the beneficiary….