There's a common assumption floating around — usually at family dinners or in half-read articles — that estate planning is something people do when they have a sprawling mansion in Fort Lauderdale, a fleet of vintage cars, and a personal accountant on speed dial. The truth is messier and more personal than that. Most people in Broward County — teachers, nurses, small business owners, retirees in Pembroke Pines — have more to protect than they realize: a home, a savings account, minor children, a business they've spent years building. An estate plan isn't about how much you own. It's about deciding what happens to the people and things you care about when you're no longer around to speak for yourself.
Let's be honest — nobody wants to think about dying. It ranks just below root canals and visiting the Lauderhill DMV on the list of things people actively avoid. And yet, the alternative to planning is letting the state of Florida do it for you. Florida's intestacy laws are about as personal as a form letter: they follow a fixed formula that has no idea your brother owes you money, your estranged cousin should definitely not inherit anything, or that your dog absolutely cannot go to your neighbor Karen. Without a will or trust in place, a probate court fills in the blanks — slowly, publicly, and often expensively.
What Does "Estate" Actually Mean?
The word "estate" sounds like it belongs to someone with a fountain in their driveway. In legal terms, it simply refers to everything you own at the time of your death — your bank accounts, your car, your home, your retirement accounts, your personal belongings, and any debts attached to them. If you own anything and care about where it goes, you have an estate worth planning for. That's true whether you live in a condo in Hollywood, Florida, or a four-bedroom house in Coral Springs.
According to a 2025survey by Caring.com, only 34% of Americans have any form of estate planning document in place. That number drops even lower for adults under 45. The gap between who needs a plan and who actually has one is enormous — and the people left to deal with the fallout are almost always the surviving family members, not the person who put off making the appointment.
The Real Cost of Doing Nothing
Inaction has a price. When someone dies without a will in Florida, the probate process can drag on for months or even years, eating into the assets meant for their family. Court fees, attorney costs, and administrative expenses can consume a significant portion of an estate before a single dollar reaches a beneficiary. Beyond the financial hit, there's the emotional toll — family members grieving while simultaneously navigating legal proceedings they never expected to face.
These are the pain points that come up again and again for families who didn't plan:
- No will means the court decides guardianship — If you have minor children and both parents die without naming a guardian, a judge makes that call. It may not be who you would have chosen.
- Assets get frozen — Bank accounts and property can be tied up in probate while bills continue to arrive. Surviving spouses and children may not have immediate access to funds they depend on.
- Family conflict escalates — Ambiguity breeds disputes. Without clear instructions, even close families can fracture over who gets what.
- Healthcare decisions fall to the wrong person — Without a healthcare surrogate designation, a medical crisis may leave doctors turning to relatives who don't know your wishes — or worse, disagreeing with each other in the middle of an emergency.
- Business succession gets complicated — If you own a business, dying without a succession plan can leave partners, employees, and clients in limbo.
Each of these scenarios has a solution, and none of them require a seven-figure net worth to address. A properly drafted will, a durable power of attorney, a healthcare surrogate designation, and — depending on your situation — a revocable living trust can resolve all of the above before a crisis forces the issue.
So, Is Estate Planning Really for Everyone?
Yes — if you own anything, love anyone, or have strong feelings about your own medical care, you need an estate plan. It's not about wealth. It's about control. Without one, Florida law makes those decisions for you, often in ways that don't reflect your wishes, your values, or your family's needs.
Industry Trends: More People Are Planning — But There's Still a Long Way to Go
The estate planning conversation has shifted in recent years. Digital tools, increased awareness after the COVID-19 pandemic, and a growing number of accessible legal services have nudged more people toward action. Still, the majority of adults remain unprotected. The chart below illustrates the gap between those who say estate planning is important and those who have actually completed a plan.
U.S. Adults: Estate Planning Awareness vs. Action (2023)
Source: Caring.com Estate Planning Survey, 2023
What a Basic Estate Plan Actually Covers
A complete estate plan doesn't have to be complicated. For most people — including the vast majority of families in Davie, Deerfield Beach, and Miramar — a core set of documents covers the essential bases. The table below compares what each document does and who it's most relevant for.
| Document | What It Does | Who Needs It |
|---|---|---|
| Last Will & Testament | Names beneficiaries, appoints a personal representative, designates guardian for minor children | Anyone with assets or dependent children |
| Revocable Living Trust | Allows assets to pass outside of probate, maintains privacy, can include detailed distribution terms | Property owners, blended families, those wanting to avoid probate |
| Durable Power of Attorney | Designates someone to manage financial and legal affairs if you become incapacitated | All adults, especially those without a spouse or adult child nearby |
| Healthcare Surrogate Designation | Names someone to make medical decisions on your behalf | All adults 18 and older |
| Living Will / Advance Directive | Documents your wishes for end-of-life care, including life support preferences | Anyone with strong preferences about their own medical treatment |
Life Events That Make Planning Urgent
There are certain moments in life when putting off an estate plan stops being a quirk and starts being a real risk. Any one of the following should prompt a conversation with an estate planning attorney — and in many cases, more than one applies at the same time.
- Getting married or remarried, especially in a blended family situation
- Having or adopting a child
- Purchasing a home or other real estate in Florida
- Starting or acquiring a business
- Receiving a significant inheritance
- Reaching retirement age and beginning to draw from accounts
- A serious illness diagnosis for yourself or a spouse
- The death of a spouse or previously named beneficiary
Each of these events changes the shape of your estate and, in some cases, the people who depend on it. An estate plan drafted before children were born needs to be updated. A will written before a divorce may still name the wrong person as beneficiary on a life insurance policy — Florida law addresses some of this automatically, but not all of it, and the gaps can be costly.
Working With an Estate Planning Attorney in Broward County
In 2026, the options for getting legal help have expanded considerably — from online document services to AI-powered platforms promising quick turnarounds. Those tools have their place for simple situations, but they don't ask follow-up questions. They don't know that you own property jointly with a sibling, that one of your beneficiaries has a disability that affects their eligibility for government benefits, or that your business partner agreement needs to be coordinated with your personal estate documents. A licensed estate planning attorney brings judgment, not just templates.
At Romanello & Rodriguez Law, P.A., the focus is on making estate planning accessible and clear — not overwhelming clients with legal jargon or unnecessary complexity. The firm's practice areas include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and probate, giving clients a single place to address the full picture of their estate planning needs across Broward County.
The cost of a professionally prepared estate plan is almost always less than people expect — and a fraction of what probate costs a family that didn't have one. That math becomes even clearer when you consider the stress, the delays, and the family friction that a clear plan prevents.
How do I get started with estate planning in Broward County?
The first step is a conversation. Contact Romanello & Rodriguez Law, P.A. to schedule a consultation. Come prepared with a general sense of what you own, who you'd want to make decisions on your behalf, and who should benefit from your estate. The attorney will handle the rest — drafting documents that reflect your actual wishes and comply with Florida law.
