Florida Asset Protection : Asset Protection Law & Planning in Florida - Florida Homestead Exemption

The general rule is that property owned by a husband and wife as joint tenants with rights of survivorship is presumed to be a tenancy by the entireties ("TE") which is protected from the individual debts of either spouse. I received an email question about a property owned by a husband, wife, and their child as joint tenants with rights of survivorship. The writer wanted to know if the property would be protected from one spouse's creditor.

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The Florida legislature enacted a new trust law which has favorable asset protection features. The new statute codifies in the statutes the protective benefits of "spendthrift provisions" which limit the beneficiary's right to assign or pledge their interest in an irrevocable trust. There are some exceptions to spendthrift protection. The new trust code also adds protection to discretionary trust where the trustee may make discretionary distributions of income and principal to the beneficiary. The law states that a beneficiary's creditors cannot compel a trustee to make a discretionary distribution which may become subject to creditor attack. This protection applies to trusts in which the beneficiary serves as trustee with discretionary powers over his own trust share so long as distributions are subject to certain standards of discretion.

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Timing is a key element in asset protection as evidenced by this story submitted by a caller last week. . A man owned two adjacent lots. He lived in a house on one lot. The adjoining lot was vacant. He and his family wanted to build their new home on the vacant lot. So, he sold his residence to a third party and used some of the sale proceeds to pay a contractor to begin construction of his new home on his vacant lot. He and his family rented an apartment during construction. Approximately two weeks prior to obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy on the new home and moving in a civil court entered a money judgment against the caller. He asked whether his new home is protected homestead.

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A few weeks ago I received an email inquiry about the effect of a judgment lien on the writer's ability to sell their homestead and buy a new homestead. The writer was concerned that a money judgment would prevent him from selling his homestead and buying a new homestead. The writer wanted to know if the lien would transfer to the new homestead. The answer is "no" for several reasons.

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An individual currently resides in a state outside of Florida where he is facing a potential large lawsuit from a business transaction. The individual is considering moving to Florida, purchasing a Florida homestead, and investing cash in annuities which are protected from creditors by Florida statutes. His current state of residence does not afford sufficient protection of either homesteads or annuities. The question posed is the timing of purchasing the annuity and the homestead relative to the time of his move to Florida

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A Florida man opened a wage account at a local branch of a large national bank in which he deposits only his salary. The man is married and head of household. A creditor got a judgment against the same man in California. The creditor did not yet domesticate the judgment in Florida. The creditor garnished the account at a California branch of the same bank. California law does not provided unlimited protection from wage garnishments and does not protect wages deposited in bank accounts. Is the Florida debtor's wages protected from garnishment in California.

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