Out of state files – What you must know if you move

The population in Florida continues to grow with over 430,000 people moving to the sunshine state last year, pushing the total number of full-time residents to a new high of over 21,000,000. And another 5,000,000 more people are expected to move here by 2030. While more new businesses and growing universities have brought more young people here, the 80 and over population still saw the biggest jump. Many of those older people have already filed estate planning documents in their prior place of residence, so the question they face is, are those documents still valid? Attorney Anne Desormier-Cartwright, who has spent three decades focused on elder law and estate planning, says, “If they are validly executed in that other state “then they are enforceable here. “However, things may have changed. “For example, maybe you had minor children “when you prepared your previous documents “and now you have adult children, “or maybe you have grandchildren “that you want to provide for.” There are also certain laws, like Medicaid, whose provisions vary from state to state. It is recommended that new residents who filed documents in another state have those files reviewed by a local attorney to determine if they are valid in Florida. Elder and Estate Planning Attorneys are there for you to answer any questions that you may have.