Family-owned businesses collectively create about half of US jobs and make up about 40 percent of the US economy. While family-owned businesses collectively form an economic leviathan, each small business and its owner face distinct needs and circumstances. Some may grow into multi-million-dollar enterprises, while others remain small but reliable. In both cases, and everything in between, small business owners need an estate plan to make sure that the wealth they fought so hard to build does not get lost after death.
Small business owners are savvy. They often know enough to incorporate and to hire a tax professional to help them comply with their tax obligations. Yet many business owners don’t consider the importance of estate planning or when they should work with an attorney to create an estate plan.
For an unmarried entrepreneur with no children and a new business, estate planning could be simple and may, if circumstances warrant, involve only the preparation of a will. But simple does not necessarily mean easy, and even in these “simple” cases it is still prudent to contact a Miami estate planning attorney to make sure that one’s will meets Florida’s legal requirements for a valid will.