A loved one passes away in Ohio. You moved out of the state years ago, so there is a flurry of activity as you try to make plans to come home and you attempt to figure out what role you have along with the other heirs. Perhaps it is you and your siblings trying to...
Serving the Cleveland Area since 1994
Serving the Cleveland Area since 1994
Firm News
‘Fair’ doesn’t always mean ‘equal’ with your heirs
Most of the time, parents try to be fair to their children -- even after those children are grown. Therefore, it's natural for parents to be concerned about how to divide their assets in their wills for their adult children. However, "fair" doesn't always mean "share...
Is it time to write your will?
There are a lot of reasons that people put off writing their wills. Maybe they've simply never thought about -- or maybe they don't want to think about dying. Whatever the reason, around 60 percent of American adults are currently without wills. However, those numbers...
Protect your future by hiring an elder law attorney
Why bother hiring an elder law attorney? This is the kind of question we hear a lot now that the internet is right at everyone's fingertips. With all those do-it-yourself legal sites available, it may seem unnecessary to actually hire an attorney to handle your will,...
Learning from your parents’ estate planning mistakes
A man came in to talk to me last week, and he said that his own parents had made some serious estate planning mistakes. Now in his 40s with children of his own, he wanted to avoid those errors. I asked him what had happened, and he grinned, looking slightly...
Steps to take after someone dies
Family comes together when a loved one passes away. You're all there for each other emotionally. You offer support and help one another get through a difficult time. Even when it's expected, that doesn't necessarily mean it's easier. You need that support system. At...
You may be surprised to find out you are a beneficiary
A will is not the only way to divide assets. You may also obtain those assets if you're a beneficiary listed on a financial account. For instance, perhaps your parents took out a life insurance policy and listed you as the beneficiary, meaning that the policy pays out...
Tips for setting up an advance directive
The unfortunate reality is that life could take a turn that makes it impossible for you to communicate your medical wishes to your family or healthcare professionals. You could suffer a stroke or get in a car accident, for instance. You still want the doctors to know...
A pending divorce does not cut your ex out of your estate plan
I was working with a client recently who had just gotten divorced. He wanted to update his estate plan to make sure that all of his ex-wife's rights to his estate had actually been terminated. Naturally, if he passed away, he did not want to leave her his money and...
Why is in-home care so costly?
The draw of in-home care, for elderly people who need assistance, is fairly clear: Staying in the house gives them comfort and stability that they just do not get if they move into an assisted living center. People often have no desire to leave the house, especially...