Your dog greets you at the door every day with enthusiastic tail wags. Your cat curls up beside you each night, purring softly. You consider these companions family members, not just pets. When you think about your future, you worry about who will care for them when...
Estate Planning
Am I too young to start thinking about creating an estate plan?
Estate planning is not on everyone’s radar, as many assume it only benefits seniors or the wealthy. The truth is that the ideal time to start an estate plan may be much earlier than you think. Starting your journey early Ohio law defines an adult as a person who is 18...
How to handle estate planning in the blended family context
Being in a blended family can make the estate planning process slightly complicated. After all, if you simply leave all your assets to your spouse, then they’ll be under no obligation to hand down any of that wealth to your children from another relationship once they...
What happens to airline miles and digital assets after death?
When people think about estate planning, they usually picture homes, bank accounts and vehicles. Digital assets can be easy to overlook. Email accounts, airline miles and cryptocurrency may carry real value, yet they do not pass automatically when someone dies. In...
Are there steps I can take to avoid probate complications?
When Ohio residents talk about wanting to avoid probate, they may be referring not so much to the almost inevitable time and effort it takes to settle their loved one’s financial affairs after they die. Instead, they may have in mind the nightmare scenarios of...
Can you replace a named trustee?
You might breathe a sigh of relief when you finally create your estate plan. But you can’t simply sleep on your estate plan without revisiting it from time-to-time. If you neglect your estate plan, then circumstances can change, rendering your estate plan...
Can estate planning help you qualify for Medicaid?
Part of the estate planning process should focus on what will happen to you if you become incapacitated or need long-term care. Many people overlook this step, which can leave them and their family in a difficult spot if additional care is needed. While you can...
5 life events that may warrant an update to your will
Life moves fast and your legal documents should keep up. Many people draft a will and then forget it, assuming it is permanent. However, major life events change your financial status and family structure. This can potentially render your existing will outdated or...
Why do people delay in creating an estate plan?
Estate planning is important for many reasons. Amongst them is that it can protect your estate’s assets, set your loved ones up for the success that you envision for them and ensure that asset distribution goes according to your plan. Yet far too many people put off...
Is a codicil sufficient to make minor updates to a will?
Creating an estate plan is a strategy for being prepared for the future. However, as time passes and circumstances change, you might need to make updates to your will. In some cases, the updates are minor and do not warrant writing a whole new will. This is when a...
