While each state may impose additional or alternate requirements, in general, a valid will must be hand-written or printed and signed by the person who has created it...
In general, the answer is yes, but if (for example) you indicated that all your effects should be buried in a big hole in the back of your property, that request might...
Joint tenancy with right of survivorship (JTWROS) is a common legal method of defining property ownership when shared with another person, but it doesn’t replace a will...
Cincinnati Probate Court
Are provisions for the care and guardianship of minor children usually provided for in a will?
Often they are, but a court is not bound by these provisions and might overrule them if there was a specific reason to do so or a justifiable challenge to the...
For federal and state tax purposes, death triggers two events: (1) It ends the decedent’s last tax year for purposes of filing an income tax return, and, (2) It...
Cincinnati Probate Court
Do beneficiaries have to pay creditors out of their own pocket if the estate is insolvent?
Generally not. Just as you “can’t take it with you” you just can’t make others responsible for your general debts, at least without their consent. (Otherwise a person...
Creditors are notified of the death as part of the probate process. This notification process can vary from state-to-state and can range from a letter to each creditor...
Not necessarily, however, some legal method must be employed to transfer the legal title and ownership of the deceased’s property into the name of the beneficiaries...
Usually, the laws of the state in which the deceased was last a permanent resident prevail regarding governance of probate issues – covering all of the deceased’s...
One approach to reduce or eliminate the need for probate is through the use of a Living Trust that holds legal title to some or all of your property at the time of your...