Despite Tiger’s uncooperative Achilles’ tendon and Peyton Manning’s quest for a new football team, these two high profile celebrities share a common link- the high net worth of a professional athlete.

Forbes estimated the net worth of Tiger Woods to be about $600 million. As for Peyton Manning, it’s reported to be about $115 million dollars. However, with his soaring popularity with football fans and looming new offers with possible endorsement deals, it’s only going to increase.

With such wealth, power, and popularity also comes responsibility. That is, to oneself and to one’s family members. Asset protection and wealth preservation is the solution. Where there are deep pockets, there is also vulnerability to threats. Utilizing the right estate planning strategies and asset structuring can protect from potential litigation and creditor claims.  A solid estate plan will reduce estate taxes, avoid probate, and also lower court and attorney fees. It also provides some well needed privacy for high worth assets as respite from all that high media attention sports celebrities get these days.

Here in South Florida, there are so many benefits to be enjoyed from asset protection trusts such as  Charitable Remainder Trusts, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts and so much more. Tiger and Peyton, as Floridians, might want to consider these options if they do not already have an estate plan in place.

It takes years of hard work to accumulate your wealth. But it can take seconds to lose it all. That’s why South Florida estate planning is one of the most critical processes every individual should engage in.

March Madness has a lot to do with estate planning. It is a team sport. Our lawyers work together with our clients to achieve the same goal in creating the perfect designed estate plan that will cater to his or her individual needs. When our clients win, we win…without the swinging or tackling.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

Apparently, it happens!

Louse White, an 81-year-old woman from Rhode Island asked a family member to buy her a lottery ticket from a local supermarket following an intense craving for rainbow sherbet ice cream. She ended up winning the Powerball jackpot. What did she do with all those millions? She was smart. She took the time to consult with her attorneys first, prior to claiming her sweet prize.   She and her attorney created the Rainbow Sherbet Trust to protect her newly acquired $210 million.

In South Florida, new trusts are being devised constantly. Concerned about heavy taxation on your life insurance policy? There’s an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust for that. Are you feeling like a humanitarian today? There’s a charitable trust for that.  You finally decided to protect your family vacation home? Say hello to Family Trusts. So, you have decided to leave everything to your spoiled Maltese poodle? There’s a Pet Trust for that. As you can see, there’s a gourmet selection of trusts to choose from to cater to your every need. The most common one is called a “living trust” which includes a “revocable” and “irrevocable” trust.

Handling a princely sum of money can be overwhelming and stressful. Retaining an experienced and knowledgeable attorney is critical for protecting your money. New trusts are being devised constantly. Each one features different legal requirements and are designed to serve various purposes. Keep in mind that circumstances change over time that may dramatically affect your estate planning strategy. Consult a qualified South Florida estate planning attorney today and protect your money like Louse White did.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

Jeremy Lin, the NY Knick’s most recent point guard, has become one of the hottest topics of social media generating the most Twitter volume of any NBA player. He’s also more talked about than even our own President! He has now become the NBA’s most prized asset due to his ‘athletic prowess.’

Speaking of assets, another hot topic comes to mind. South Florida Estate Planning. This is a different type of field requiring ‘asset planning prowess’ that only your highly qualified South Florida estate planning attorney can equip you with. Even though this topic may not be as exciting as watching a rising Asian- American basketball star rocking the court with his “ally-oop passes” and “super dunks,” it certainly is more important. After all, it isn’t about you; it’s about protecting those you love the most after you are gone. Think about it for a minute. We make sure we purchase health insurance just in case our children get sick. We purchase car insurance just in case our spouse gets into an accident. We even set up a pre-paid college plan just in case our children have trouble paying for school. Notice how we strive to protect our loved ones from situations that might occur; just in case. But we rarely stop to consider situations that will occur. Death is inevitable. The death rate in Floriada is 100 percent. That’s why estate planning is crucial.

With estate planning, our team at Wild, Felice, and Partners can help you protect your family savings and investments from lawsuits and claims while helping you avoid probate and reduce your estate taxes.

The NY Knicks invested in an all star team from the Ivies. Its time for you to invest in an all star legal team here in Broward County.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

It was quite surprising to learn of Whitney Houston’s unexpected death this weekend after attending a pre-Grammy party. It just goes to show that even the Queen of Pop is not immortal. With Valentine’s Day nearing tomorrow, we are all reminded about just how important it is to show that special person in our lives just how much we love them.

But what exactly is love? The more seasoned lovebirds will tell you that love is not a feeling; love is the things that we do.  You are probably thinking what you can do to make Valentine’s day memorable for your significant other. Are you thinking about buying your wife that bouquet of roses with her favorite box of chocolates just like every year? Or maybe this time around, you are considering getting her a pair of diamond earrings that would look absolutely ravishing on her ears. After all, diamonds are forever, right?

A suggestion for something a little more creative.  With this special gift, you won’t have to spend endless hours at the jewelry store.  It’s called South Florida estate planning. There is no better way to show her that you care and will love her forever than getting your estate plan in order. By doing this, you are essentially saying, “I want to make sure you are well taken care of and protected…. physically, financially and emotionally, no matter what happens in life. With this ultimate gift, I want to protect you today, tomorrow, and long after I am gone.” If that doesn’t express true and endless love, I don’t know what will.

Whitney Houston will live forever through her songs. You will live forever through your South Florida estate plan. Making a gift of this kind to express your love literally lasts longer than any shiny stone.

Call your South Florida experienced and highly qualified estate planning attorney today to guide you through the entire process to make sure your significant other is well-taken care of.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

So, the NY Giants defeated the Patriots last night in Super Bowl XLVI becoming champions of the NFL. Eli Manning and the Giants pulled off a last-minute touchdown drive to beat the Patriots 21-17 for their second Super Bowl Victory. The jokes are over. The questions are answered. Eli and his Giants are kings once again.

Football aside, one of the most important life questions might still remain unanswered. When are you going to get your estate plan in place? The natural inclination is to respond, “Oh, I’m never going to die” or “I’m too young to worry about that” or “I’m not a millionaire yet. I will worry about preserving my assets when I become rich.”

The death rate in Florida is 100%.  Shocking, I know. We might feel invincible and immortal at times but the sad truth is, we were born to die. And the best part is we really will never know when. It’s a surprise. When it comes to South Florida estate planning, wealth is not the primary factor to consider when deciding whether to structure a trust-based estate.

Estate planning and asset protection is really all about protecting your loved ones. Do you really want to subject your children, spouse, or family members to unnecessary and avoidable estate taxes? Do you want to let your family drown in a sea of probate perils?

If your answer is NO then call your South Florida Estate Planning attorney today. Don’t pull a Manning and try to score a trust at the last-minute.  Considerable care and planning is necessary for your attorney to be able to tailor the optimal plan to meet your objectives and ensure that your loved ones are protected once you are gone.  Nothing screams touchdown better than a secure and solid estate plan!

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

This Sunday most of America will be glued to television sets while watching the Patriots and Giants battle it out on the football field. Everyone will be rooting for their favorite team while wolfing down Buffalo wings and downing endless cans of beer. During commercial airtime, you might be thinking how great it is that your family and friends are all together watching the biggest game of the year. So many memories are being filled right in your family living room. You then decide you are going to leave your house to your kids so that these memories will last forever. What a great idea!

However, without careful thought, you might be doing disservice to your children in the future.  If your residence is worth less than $5 million, most likely you will not have to pay any gift taxes. This is great. However, if your children decide to sell the house immediately, they will be hit with heavy capital gains tax. This is because your cost basis (whatever it cost you to purchase the house) is transferred over to the recipient. So if the fair market value of your house has substantially increased, Uncle Sam will dip into that higher gain.

However, the only way for your children to avoid such high taxes is for them to live in the house for at least 2 years before they sell it. This situation affords them the opportunity to exclude up to $250,000 from capital gain taxes.

What if you decide your children will instead inherit the real estate? In this case, the cost basis will become the current market value, which could translate into a lower gain and thus, lower taxes. However, there are estate tax consequences that will come back to haunt you.  So what do you do?

Take action and consult a highly qualified South Florida attorney to learn about all the available options that can save your children from harsh taxes.

Back in 2008, the Patriot’s offensive line failed to protect their quarterback Tom Brady from the NY Giant’s hard-charging defensive linemen. Don’t fail to protect your kids from Uncle Sam’s appetite for more taxes. Put down that plate of nachos and schedule an appointment today!

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

I am trying to come up with a topic related to South Florida estate planning and asset protection as I watch this South Carolina Republican debate and the candidates are currently stuck on the topic of the right to life and debating which of them are pro life.  If anyone took a look at what’s going on with the estate tax and how difficult and costly the South Florida probate process is, theyd surely be pro life.  With a 55 percent estate tax, there’s no way a person would be pro death.

I hope that was what they were talking about.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

The South Florida estate planning and wealth protection firm of Wild Felice & Partners, PA is proud to announce that managing partner Michael D. Wild has recently received an “AV® Preeminent Rating” by Martindale Hubbell.

An AV® certification rating is the highest rating provided by Martindale-Hubbell – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him/her at the highest level of ethical standards and legal ability, based on legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, jud…gment, communication ability, and legal experience.

We thank everyone who rated Michael with such a high distinction and we especially thank all of our clients and referral sources for the continued trust they place in Michael and in our firm for something as important as estate planning and asset protection.

AV Preeminent (4.5-5.0)- AV Preeminent is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

Tim Tebow just lead the Denver Broncos past the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of this year’s NFL playoffs when very few Floridians thought that he could.  Just like most Florida residents thought the Steelers would win, most residents of South Florida believe that they will never die.  This must be the case because the percentage of people in South Florida with trust based estate plans already in place is very low.  Furthermore, when speaking about estate planning, most people will ask what is going to happen “if” they die.  Then I have to break it to them that the death rate in Florida is 100 percent.  Death is a certainty; whether you are prepared for it is able to be controlled.  Tim Tebow always does the right thing so I am sure that he has a living trust as well as the other Florida estate planning docments that make up the foundational Trust-based estate plan.  Do you?

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?

All too often, even after realizing the indispensability of a comprehensive South Florida estate plan - people try to cut corners.  When it comes to preserving hard-earned assets for posterity, being penny wise is not only pound-foolish. It may even be fatal to all your hard work, hopes, and dreams of perpetual prosperity for future progeny.

Why Not Do Estate Planning Yourself?

A plethora of workbooks full of fill-in-the-blank forms is available online and at local retailers. Some subscription-based websites offer downloadable standardized materials with audio or video instruction.

Although helpful, such resources are woefully ineffective estate planning tools. In the “game” of planning estates, what is good for the goose will not always work for the gander. Everyone has different needs and objectives. No two situations are exactly alike.

There is simply no substitute for the specialized expertise of a Florida estate planning attorney. As your legal representative, an attorney is legally and ethically bound to represent only your interests and desires when devising any estate plan on your behalf. The availability of free initial consultations gives you nothing to lose and everything to gain by consulting a qualified estate lawyer in Florida.

For more information on successful Florida estate planning and probate techniques, please contact the South Florida law firm of Wild Felice & Partners, P.A. at 954-944-2855 or via email at info@wfplaw.com to schedule your free consultation.

It’s a Wild world.  Are you protected?