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.
Probate
The Restaurant That Disappeared: A Florida Probate Horror Story for Business Owners
This is a fictionalized scenario — but it mirrors situations that play out in Central Florida every year. When a business owner dies without a plan, the business often dies with them.
Estate Planning
Why a Florida Will Alone Is Rarely Enough: The Five Documents Most Orlando Families Actually Need
Many Orlando families assume that signing a will is enough. In most cases it is not, and the cost of missing the other documents shows up at the worst possible time.
Estate Planning
The Beneficiary Designation Problem That Sends Money to the Wrong Person — And How to Fix It
Most people spend months thinking about their will and never look at the beneficiary designation forms on their retirement accounts and life insurance. Those forms control far more money — and they override everything else.
Tax
The $15 Million Exemption Is Here — But That Doesn't Mean You Can Stop Planning
Congress made the $15 million estate tax exemption permanent last year, and a lot of people think that means estate planning just got optional. It didn't — and here's why.
Estate Planning
What Is a Durable Power of Attorney — and Why Yours Might Already Be Outdated
If you signed a power of attorney more than a few years ago — or printed one off the internet — there is a real chance it will not work when your family needs it. Here's what you need to know.
Probate
Three Siblings, One House, Zero Plan: A Florida Probate Horror Story
This is a fictionalized story — but it is based on the kinds of situations probate attorneys in Central Florida see every year. The names are made up. The chaos is real.
Probate
The Quiet Half of Florida's 2026 Probate Reform: New Enforcement Powers Against Banks and Stonewallers
Florida's 2026 probate reform (CS/HB 1337, chapter 2026-57) creates a new Florida statute — § 733.6125 — giving personal representatives the legal tools to push back against financial institutions that stonewall valid estate administration. Effective July 1, 2026.
Estate Planning
The Florida Marriage Asset Protection You Already Have (But Probably Just Lost By Accident)
Florida gives married couples a creditor-protection tool that almost no other state provides. It is called tenancy by the entireties, and most people accidentally undo it without ever knowing they had it. Here is what it is, why it matters in Orlando, and the simple paperwork moves that quietly throw it away.
Probate
The Personal Representative Who Stopped Returning Calls: A $90,000 Cautionary Tale from Casselberry
The brother who volunteered to handle Mom's probate seemed like the obvious choice. He was the oldest, he lived closest, and he said it would be easy. Fourteen months later, his sisters had not heard from him, the house had been quietly listed, and the estate account had a balance neither of them recognized. This is what happened next.
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.