https://stepuplaw.com/blog/ Florida estate planning, probate, tax, and business law updates from Klagge Law, PLLC. Attorney advertising. en-us Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:35:55 GMT https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-two-words-that-froze-a-trust/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-two-words-that-froze-a-trust/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An Oregon couple wrote 'joint lives' into their trust four times and never said what happens after the first death. Six years in court, and Florida's answer. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/two-bugs-in-my-own-tax-calculator/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/two-bugs-in-my-own-tax-calculator/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A calculator I published had two errors in the same deduction. My tests passed anyway. Here is why they passed, and the check that would have caught it. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-one-word-lady-bird-deed/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-one-word-lady-bird-deed/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A real Florida appeal where one word in a lady bird deed, grantor for grantee, took a bench trial and an appeal to fix. What it teaches about DIY deed forms. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-trust-that-said-male/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-trust-that-said-male/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 1970 family trust excluded granddaughters with one word, and fixing it took 54 years, three courts, and a 1978 affidavit nobody remembered signing. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-account-in-the-dogs-name/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-account-in-the-dogs-name/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT He held a Swiss account under his dog's name, signed an IRS closing agreement, and paid. The IRS repudiated it anyway. What the Niksich FBAR appeal teaches. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-swiss-inheritance-fbar/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-swiss-inheritance-fbar/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Boca Raton man's inherited Swiss accounts drew $12.5 million in willful FBAR penalties. Two appeals trimmed $300,000. What the Schwarzbaum saga teaches. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-missing-second-witness/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-missing-second-witness/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everyone agreed what Ralph wanted. His trust amendment left the Bradenton house to a friend, but only one witness signed, and no Florida court could fix it. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-accountings-that-never-came/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-accountings-that-never-came/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Florida trustee never prepared a single accounting. When the beneficiary finally sued, the court capped his look back at four years. Waiting has a price. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-trust-that-paid-every-bill/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/what-went-wrong-the-trust-that-paid-every-bill/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT He owed $16,000 a month in alimony and stopped paying while family trusts covered every bill he had. A Florida court let his former wife garnish the trusts. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/when-your-real-estate-stops-being-real-estate/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/when-your-real-estate-stops-being-real-estate/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Deed a building into an LLC and you no longer own real estate. Here is what that quietly breaks in a Florida estate plan, and the doors it opens. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/obbba-15m-estate-tax-exemption-florida/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/obbba-15m-estate-tax-exemption-florida/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Congress made the $15 million federal estate tax exemption permanent for 2026. Here is what that change does, and does not, mean for Florida families. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/after-a-parent-dies-florida-what-is-urgent/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/after-a-parent-dies-florida-what-is-urgent/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT When a parent dies in Florida, almost nothing has to happen today. Here is what is actually urgent in the first days, what can wait, and what not to touch yet. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/florida-medicaid-numbers-2026/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/florida-medicaid-numbers-2026/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 2026 Florida long-term-care Medicaid figures: the $2,982 income cap, $2,000 asset limit, $162,660 spousal allowance, and the home-equity limit. https://stepuplaw.com/blog/hurricane-season-florida-estate-documents/ https://stepuplaw.com/blog/hurricane-season-florida-estate-documents/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hurricane season is the nudge Florida families need: a durable power of attorney, health care directives, and an up-to-date will. How to get ready fast.