Cincinnati Legal Blog

Ohio residents are sometimes reluctant to address estate planning issues because it can be difficult for them to contemplate their death. Another issue is the dizzying array of documents involved. Dealing with wills, trusts and powers of attorney can seem daunting to those unfamiliar with legal documents, but tackling these issues head-on ensures that loved ones will be provided for and can provide peace of mind.

One way to approach estate planning is to think of the beneficiaries who will be taken care of rather than the assets involved. A straightforward way to begin an estate plan is to draft a will and check the beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and insurance policies. Last wills and testaments are especially useful for parents as they can establish who will be appointed the guardian of their children if they should die. It is also a good idea to revisit these documents regularly or, at the very least, after a major life event like a divorce.

The presence of a child in your life is like no other joy you can imagine. If you have longed for a child, you may have had different experiences that led you to open your heart to the process of adoption. Welcoming as your own a child in need of a loving, nurturing home may seem the most natural choice for you, but you should be prepared for a challenging process to gain approval from an Ohio or private adoption agency.

Just as biological parents spend many months waiting and preparing for the arrival of their children, so you will have a busy and intense period of waiting after you apply to be an adoptive parent. A large part of that wait will involve the completion of your home study.

You may have never expected to get a divorce, and you may have expected even less to get divorced after having children. Still, this is the direction your life went, and now, you are working to co-parent with your ex-spouse and hope that you are doing the best for your children.

Parenting is difficult no matter the circumstances. After the divorce, you may have wondered how you would ever get along with only having the children with you part of the time while also continuing to make decisions with your ex regarding the well-being of the kids. Though you are trying your best, co-parenting can certainly have its challenges.

Those who become incapacitated for any reason may not be able to manage their finances. However, Ohio residents and others can create a financial power of attorney to resolve this problem. A financial power of attorney is a person or entity who is allowed to conduct various transactions on an incapacitated person's behalf. Without such a document, family members may need to go to court to get permission to manage that individual's money.

A power of attorney can either be durable or springing in nature. A durable power of attorney lasts until a person dies or revokes the power granted to an agent. Springing powers of attorney generally go into effect after a doctor certifies that a person is truly incapacitated. The powers granted to an agent can be as narrow or broad as an individual wants them to be.