Bring. Read. Rate. Map. Floridize.

Five steps from the plan you brought with you to one that works in Florida. You decide after step five whether to go further.

1. Step 1

   Bring

   Give us your current plan.

   Wills, trusts and amendments, powers of attorney, health care documents, deeds, and any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. Send them securely, or bring paper to our office and we will scan them and hand them back. If you like, add a list of what you own, how each asset is titled, and who is named as beneficiary. Values are optional.

2. Step 2

   Read

   We read every page.

   Every page, including signature pages, initials, and riders, because that is where out-of-state documents usually differ from Florida's. We use secure software to organize and read your documents. An attorney checks every finding against your original pages before you see it.

3. Step 3

   Rate

   Each document gets one of four ratings.

   Works in Florida, Works With Friction, Will Not Work, or Missing, each with the Florida reason in a plain sentence. Domicile comes first, because it is the issue most often overlooked.

   Floridize Scorecard

   Sample

   • WillWill Not Work

     Names a friend in Connecticut as sole personal representative.

   • Revocable trustWorks With Friction

     Governed by New York law. The Florida home was never deeded into it.

   • Power of attorneyWorks With Friction

     Valid New York form, but none of Florida's separately initialed powers.

   • Medicaid authorityMissing

     No authority to create or fund a Qualified Income Trust.

   • Health care proxyWorks in Florida

     Valid in Florida. Names the spouse, then a daughter.

   • Living willWorks With Friction

     Written around New York's conditions, not Florida's.

   • Pre-need guardianMissing

     No designation.

   • Domicile recordMissing

     Every document recites a New York address. No Declaration of Domicile.

4. Step 4

   Map

   See where everything goes.

   If you shared your assets, we show where each one appears to go at the first death and at the second, based on how it is titled and who is named on it. The gaps between what you intend and what your paperwork does are usually the most useful thing in the review.

5. Step 5

   Floridize

   Keep what works. Fix what doesn't.

   One meeting. We go over your scorecard, then settle what to keep, what to replace, and what to add, and you leave with a domicile checklist. If you go forward, we prepare the Florida documents and the deeds and funding letters that make them work. If you would rather have a full written review of your current plan before deciding, ask for one.