Things To Do In SW Florida

Making a will isn’t a task just for the old and wealthy. It’s also for the well-prepared.

Recent years serve as a heavy reminder that you might not know when your last days are. Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped in both 2020 and 2021, driven by COVID-19 deaths and an increase in accidental deaths, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over 1 million people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19, according to the CDC. And in 2021, accidents or unintentional injuries were the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., the organization found.

It’s unlikely that you’ll die young. But if the unexpected happens, having a will in place — even if it feels like you don’t need one — can be a simple way to avoid leaving important decisions about your assets and guardianship wishes to your state’s laws and courts. It doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars, either.

What can happen if you don’t have a will

If you don’t have a will — called “dying intestate” — your assets are distributed by a probate court according to your state’s laws of intestacy. Going through probate without a will can be a longer, more complicated process, as inheritors must file a petition to make a claim to the assets. read more

TALLAHASSEE — Farmers Insurance Group announced Tuesday that it would no longer write new policies or renew existing homeowner, auto and umbrella policies, affecting about 100,000 customers, a day after Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis threatened to take action if it did.

“Hearing rumors @WeAreFarmers might pull out of Florida,” Patronis tweeted Monday afternoon. “If that’s true my office is going to explore every avenue possible for holding them accountable. Don’t get to leave after taking policyholder money.”

A spokesman for Patronis declined to explain what action he would take to hold the agency accountable, directing all questions to the Office of Insurance Regulation, which Patronis oversees as CFO.

The state agency on Tuesday received a “market reduction notice from Farmers Insurance Group,” communications director Samantha Bequer said in an email to the Orlando Sentinel. “OIR is reviewing the notice in accordance with applicable Florida Statutes.” read more