Out of state will and avoiding probate

Out of state wills are generally accepted in Florida, but you still need to meet with an attorney to discuss ways to avoid probate.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Catharine you’re on news 96:5 go ahead,

Catherine: Hey, Tom,

Attorney Tom Olsen: Hey.

Catherine: Quite recently my husband and I recently moved to Florida from Connecticut and we had a will drawn up in Connecticut, will that still be valid in Florida or do I need to see a lawyer to have another one drawn up?

Attorney Tom Olsen: Florida statute say that if your will was valid when it was done in Connecticut it is going to be valid here in the State of Florida no matter what, but I want to remind you Catharine that when I do a will for people I do three other related documents. I do a Living Will Declaration where you ask that you not be kept alive by machines. I do a Healthcare Surrogate so if you're not able to your appointing somebody to decide what doctors, what hospitals, what medications. I do a Financial Power of Attorney so if you're not able to you're appointing somebody to pay your bills and manage your affairs.

Those three documents the Living Will, Healthcare Surrogate, Financial Power of Attorney are all done specific to Florida law, so even if your Connecticut Will's okay, those other three documents probably need to be redone to comply with Florida law.

Catherine: Got it. Okay, thank you very much for the information, I appreciate it.

Attorney Tom Olsen: You're very welcome Catherine by the way our office will be happy to help you out with that. When we do wills for people we do those four documents and maybe even more importantly, we talk to you about how to avoid probate because folks simply having a will in and of itself does not avoid probate. You got to go a step further, a few steps further to do that Catherine and that's more importantly whether your will is valid or not.

Hey, folks if you want to meet with us about avoiding probate call our office anytime as well you can always get our booklet on Easy Ways To Avoid Probate.  You want to get our booklet on Easy Ways To Avoid Probate you call or text Chrissy at four 407-808-8398.

I'm going to give that office number out again but I remind you that when you call Chrissy to get your booklet Easy Ways To Avoid Probate, please clearly state and even spell your name and clearly state your address, that way Chrissy does not need to call you back, all she needs to do is a pop it in the mail to you. The phone number to call for your Easy Ways To Avoid Probate booklet is 407-808-8398.