Probate in Florida can drag on for nine months to a year, cost families 3% of their assets in attorney’s fees alone, and leave grieving relatives waiting 45–60 days just to access basic funds. Estate planning attorney Stephen Lacey breaks down exactly why that happens — and what to do before it does. He covers revocable trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership pitfalls, and Florida’s homestead rules, with the kind of candor you don’t always get from someone in his field.
Stephen also walks through the most common trust mistakes he sees: unfunded accounts, outdated beneficiary designations, and out-of-state property that quietly triggers a second probate. One overlooked bank account with $10,000 in it can cost $4,500 to probate.
The right plan, built before it’s needed, changes everything for the families left behind.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Why probate in Florida typically runs nine months to a year — and sometimes much longer
- The real cost breakdown, including 3% attorney’s fees and what court filing actually runs
- Revocable trusts as the gold standard for avoiding probate, and why having one isn’t enough
- Beneficiary designation mistakes that send assets through probate anyway
- How joint ownership works in Florida, and where it falls short as a long-term strategy
- Florida homestead rules and the hidden complications they create for surviving spouses and children
- What families can do to make probate faster and less expensive when it can’t be avoided
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