protect your
children
Did you know that a Will doesn’t avoid probate? It guarantees it. And if you haven’t even done that… well, if something unexpected happens to you and you haven’t planned for everyone you love and everything you have, the State of Florida has a default plan for you. Basically, if you don’t make the decisions now, a judge will make those decisions later. Sound scary? Well, it can be. Those you love would have to deal with the red tape and bureaucracy of government procedures and regulations.
Book ConsultationAfter several years of practicing law and then facing a life-threatening emergency surgery, attorney Nicole Martins finally did what everyone puts off – she created a basic estate plan. It wasn’t until after formalizing the will that Nicole realized she needed a much more comprehensive estate plan to protect her children and leave the legacy she desired.
With this realization, Nicole recognized that if an experienced attorney like herself had put off estate planning for so long, thousands of other families would be doing the same thing.
The Martins Law Firm was founded to provide exceptional legal counseling to families and businesses who, for whatever reason, just haven’t gotten around to making a solid estate plan.
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We strategize the best way to accomplish your goals and communicate our plan.
All the necessary documents are created to put your plan into action.
We're with you every step of the way, so if things change, your plan gets updated.
If you have assets and, more importantly, family you wish to protect, then you should create an estate plan. Many people put off estate planning for a variety of reasons. However, it’s essential that you create one before it’s too late. Illness or death is unpredictable, which is why you need a comprehensive estate plan.
Estate planning is more than just a will. It includes important documents like trusts, beneficiary designations, power of attorneys, and any instructions once you die or if you become incapacitated. An estate plan is a living document: you should update it as your needs change.
Some think that having a will protects their family from probate. However, this is a misconception. A will is beneficial, but most estates have to go through probate regardless of whether or not the decedent created one. Having a will does help your executor complete probate easily since they’ll know how to distribute your assets.
If you want to avoid probate, you can create a revocable living trust. A revocable living trust is a document where you can distribute your assets to your heirs. Trusts don’t have to go through probate, so your assets can go to your beneficiaries immediately.
Wills and trusts are similar, but they have different purposes. A will is a document that explains exactly how you want your assets to be distributed once you die. Your will may include your executor and instructions for your funeral.
A trust is an arrangement that allows you, the grantor, to transfer assets to a trustee. A trust defines the trustee’s ownership to the assets and how they should handle the distributions. The trustee must manage the assets as defined in the trust. Trusts are effective once the trustee transfers the assets, while wills become effective when the decedent dies.
We help families, individuals,
entrepreneurs, and business owners
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