Estate Planning

A court handles distribution of the assets in an estate in cases in which the deceased created a legally valid will. Individuals who die without a will require courts and other individuals to infer their wishes. One of the most important issues to address involves the...

Ohio courts will oversee the distribution of a Dayton resident’s property if they should die without a will. The court-appointed administrator of the estate will play an important role in this process. They will have to gather the deceased person’s property, appraise...

The probate process can be much more detailed and tedious than you ever expected. Much of this is attributable to the accounting process. After all, the estate administrator is required to inventory the estate so that all assets and debts are identified and properly...

It may shock some of our readers, but many Millennials are hitting 40 very soon. They have houses, kids and over 20% of them are caring for their parents or other older family members. They have arrived, and like their counterparts before them, it is time to create an...

A valid will is a one of the most basic pieces of estate planning. A will clearly lays out how assets and debts should be distributed after the death of the will holder, known as a testator. However, as most everyone knows, life is unpredictable, and sometimes a will...

A quitclaim deed may be used as part of an estate plan. It allows a person to transfer the rights he or she has in property to another person. A deed is a legal document and it must contain a description of the property, the names of the parties and the signature of...

A power of attorney can be an effective estate planning tool. It allows a person, called the principal, to designate another person, called an agent, to act on his or her behalf. The agent is required to act in the best interest of the principal and may only act to...

The world of estate planning is rife with different tools and devices intended to serve a variety of needs. This variety often comes in handy as it allows for highly personalized estate plans. Previously, the standard will was considered the default means of estate...

Let us assume that an Ohio resident who owns real property, such as a house, passes away. Many people wonder whether the property owned by that person can be passed on to someone else, per the owner’s wish, without entering into probate administration and without the...

The probate process can be enormously complicated, even when an estate plan left behind by a loved one seems relatively clear. This is certainly the case when multiple wills are discovered. The question at this point is which will is valid and therefore enforceable?...