Joseph Seagle

Business, estate planning, asset protection, and real estate lawyer based in Orlando, Florida.

Mar 20, 2026

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5 min read

🚨 FinCEN Rule Vacated

Yesterday, March 19, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, vacated FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule that required reporting of all beneficial owners of trusts and entities that were transferees of residential real estate in non-financed (no-bank-involved) transactions.

Mar 20, 2026

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12 min read

Move my LLC to another state?

For various reasons, business owners ask us about moving their LLC from or to another state. It requires a conversation, but we can usually determine one of the four different ways to accomplish the feat, or whether it's a smart move in the first place.

Mar 13, 2026

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13 min read

Family meeting time!

Spending a lot of time, money, and energy on creating the perfect asset protection, business succession, and estate planning strategies is worthless if it all ends in a brawl of family members after you're gone. To head off conflict, many families are holding meetings to explain the why and how of their plans before they're gone.

Mar 6, 2026

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10 min read

How to keep your address off the net

Social media influencers, creators, and other public figures often don't realize that -- if they own real estate in their name or an LLC where their information is attached to the entity -- then their name and address are freely available on the Internet for stalkers, disgruntled business partners, and lawsuit hunters to track them down. Read on to find out how to keep that information out of the public eye while you stay in it.

Feb 27, 2026

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13 min read

Land Trusts and FinCEN - Report or not?

FinCEN’s new Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule (effective March 1, 2026) targets non-financed transfers of residential real property to entities and trusts. Many investors using Florida land trusts are asking: Does moving property into a trust now trigger federal reporting?

Series LLCs come to Florida - another asset protection tool in the box

Feb 20, 2026

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17 min read

Series LLCs come to Florida - another asset protection tool in the box

Florida’s new Series LLC statute gives investors and business owners a flexible, modern tool to organize multiple ventures or properties under a single parent LLC while insulating each one’s liabilities efficiently and cost-effectively as long as they pay careful attention to formation and ongoing compliance.

Feb 13, 2026

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11 min read

3% mortgage to buy that home?

New homeowners assuming FHA and VA mortgages are becoming more common as sellers who bought their homes with these mortgages during the pandemic era are now having to move. Unfortunately, they haven't built enough equity to cover all the closing costs, and supply (competition) is rising. To make their homes more attractive to buyers, they're offering to work with the buyers to help them assume their mortgage at those once-in-a-lifetime low rates.

Feb 6, 2026

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13 min read

Retire in Florida - the ultimate dream

Retirement is less about where you stop working and more about where your money, property, and family plans work best for you. State laws quietly shape taxes, asset protection, and long-term control — often more than investment returns do.

Jan 30, 2026

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11 min read

Will you still matter after you retire?

Most retirement planning focuses on wealth and health. But many retirees quietly struggle with something else: the loss of relevance, purpose, and identity.

Ready to inherit trillion$$$ in real estate?

Jan 23, 2026

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11 min read

Ready to inherit trillion$$$ in real estate?

The largest intergenerational transfer of real estate wealth in U.S. history is underway. Gen X and Millennials are poised to inherit trillions in homes, rental properties, and commercial real estate—often without preparation, coordination, or legal structure. That’s a recipe for conflict, tax leakage, and forced sales.

Jan 16, 2026

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12 min read

Even dead billionaires pay taxes

The IRS recently settled with a software billionaire's heirs for $750 million in back taxes and penalties due from the decedent's estate for fraudulent tax structures he created during his life.

Jan 9, 2026

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12 min read

Minimize taxes in 2026 with new laws

The major tax law changes passed in July 2025 will bear fruit in 2026 for business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs who learn about them and identify the leverage they can provide.

Three things to prepare your asset protection and estate planning for 2026

Dec 19, 2025

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12 min read

Three things to prepare your asset protection and estate planning for 2026

As we wrap up 2025, it's a great time to take some action to set up 2026 for success: planning, protection, and preparedness are the three guide words to keep in mind before Old Man Time steps aside for Baby New Year.

Planning to exit the U.S.? Get your estate and asset protection plans in place first

Dec 12, 2025

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11 min read

Planning to exit the U.S.? Get your estate and asset protection plans in place first

With more people looking to leave the U.S. for retirement, cost of living, quality of life, and other reasons, they should consider the effects that move could have on their estate and asset protection plans and techniques they've used. What works well in Florida may not translate to another country with different laws and customs.

Why it's important to discuss inheritances with adult children

Dec 5, 2025

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13 min read

Why it's important to discuss inheritances with adult children

Families that avoid the subject of which children are getting what assets when the parents are gone are setting the future generations up for arguments, resentment, and litigation, potentially squandering the family's wealth, assets, and peace of mind the parents were trying to ensure with detailed planning.

What to do with your parents' stuff before they're gone

Nov 21, 2025

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12 min read

What to do with your parents' stuff before they're gone

When parents still hold assets (homes, personal property, business interests), getting a plan before death means fewer headaches, less emotional stress and more control.

Saving legal fees using AI the right way

Nov 14, 2025

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11 min read

Saving legal fees using AI the right way

If you're using AI like a Google search to get answers to your legal questions or to review legal documents, you're doing it wrong. Proper prompting is the secret to using AI as your first step to save your attorney's time and your money while moving faster than your opponents.

Tax strategies every Florida real estate investor should know

Nov 7, 2025

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11 min read

Tax strategies every Florida real estate investor should know

In real estate, the difference between a good deal and a great one often lies in how you handle taxes. Florida investors can leverage both federal and state advantages—no personal income tax, generous property protections, and tax-deferred growth tools—to keep more money in their portfolios instead of the IRS’s pocket.

Oct 31, 2025

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12 min read

DST: the 1031 off-ramp

Delaware Statutory Trusts are a vehicle that landlords can use to exit the daily management chores while still deferring tax consequences. Also discover how discovering the smallest thing you can do to get started is the first step to ending analysis paralysis.

Oct 24, 2025

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11 min read

Five times to review your estate plan

There are five critical life events that are an important time to review or create your estate plan. And business owners should know the three things that increase employee happiness and engagement.

Oct 17, 2025

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10 min read

CEO Succession Planning

What can we learn from a tragic story, and how can we look back to move forward? The unexpected and tragic death of a mortgage lending visionary CEO is a wake-up call for other founders. We can also move forward comfortably by looking backward.

Pet trusts - the oft-forgotten estate planning tool

Oct 10, 2025

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12 min read

Pet trusts - the oft-forgotten estate planning tool

Plus 5 strategies to ensure your business exit is smooth sailing: Many entrepreneurs don't think about pricing and selling their business until they're ready to hit the door. That's too late. Start early by focusing on the top-five strategies that maximize the value of your business for any potential buyer.