Articles from Yergey & Yergey, P.A.
Practical guidance on Florida probate, estate planning, guardianship, and trust law — written by attorneys who practice it every day in Orange County and the surrounding circuits.
Estate Planning
The Pour-Over Will: The Quiet Safety Net Behind Every Florida Trust
A pour-over will has one job: catch any asset that didn't make it into your revocable trust during your lifetime and direct it there at death. Without one, those assets pass under different rules — often the wrong ones.
Estate Planning
The Empty Trust: Why So Many Florida Families Pay for a Trust and Still End Up in Probate
You can pay good money for a beautiful revocable living trust and still hand your family a probate case. The problem is not the trust. The problem is that the trust is empty. Here is how that happens, why it is so common in Florida, and what to do this week to fix it.
Probate
The Most Underused Tool in Probate Disputes: Why Florida Families Should Know About Mediation
If you're in the middle of a dispute over a loved one's estate, you've probably been told two things: get an attorney and you may end up in court. Both may be true. But there's a third option that gets far less attention — and resolves a remarkable number of estate conflicts: mediation.
Estate Planning
AI v. Attorney: Estate Planning Deserves More Than a Prompt
A lot of people are starting to wonder whether they can just use AI to create their estate planning documents. On the surface, that sounds efficient. Unfortunately, estate planning is about making sure your wishes are actually carried out when your family needs those documents to work — and that requires a licensed Florida attorney who knows the law and knows you.
Estate Planning
Florida's Homestead Law Can Save Your House from Creditors — and Ruin Your Will If You Are Not Careful
Florida homestead is one of the strongest asset protections in the country, but it comes with strings attached that can quietly undo a carefully written will. Here is what Orlando families need to know before the real estate closing, the remarriage, or the estate meeting.
Estate Planning
The Quietest Tax Break in America: How Inheriting Mom's House (Instead of Getting It Early) Can Save Your Family $50,000 or More
Most blue-collar families have one really big asset: the house. How you inherit that house makes a massive difference at tax time. Understanding basis step-up, and why putting the kids on the deed is almost always a mistake, can easily save a Florida family $50,000 or more.
Probate
The $180,000 Surprise: What Happens When Assets Turn Up After the Estate Is Already Closed
The family thought probate was over. The house had been sold, the checks distributed, the case closed. Then a letter arrived from a bank nobody had heard of, holding $180,000 nobody knew existed. In Florida, forgotten assets are more common than you think, and reopening a closed estate is never cheap or quick.
Estate Planning
I'm Single. Do I Really Need an Estate Plan?
Yes. And not because something is wrong. Being single means you get to be intentional about the people, priorities, and plans that matter most to you. Estate planning is not just for married couples or parents — it is for anyone who has assets, health decisions to make, or people they care about.
Estate Planning
What Really Happens at Your First Estate Planning Meeting in Florida
Most people picture estate planning as a stiff, intimidating process full of legal jargon. In reality, the first meeting is mostly a conversation. Here is what to expect, what to bring, and how our firm keeps the process simple for Florida families.
Estate Planning
Your Disabled Child Could Lose Everything You Leave Them — Unless You Plan Around a $2,000 Trap
If your child or grandchild has a disability and relies on government benefits, leaving them money directly could cost them their health insurance and monthly income. A special needs trust protects both the inheritance and the benefits. Here is what Florida families need to know.