About fifty percent of those who die in the State of Ohio die without a will. If you die without an estate plan, you give up control over who inherits your estate, who is appointed the administrator of your estate, and who is appointed guardian for your minor children. Further, having no estate plan can:
- increase the cost of the administration
- delay the process
- create litigation
- fail to provide for your family
- increase estate taxes and income taxes
Without disability documents, you will provide no instructions for managing your affairs if you become incompetent, nor provide instructions concerning your health care and end of life decisions.
As you will see throughout this site, it is far better to deal with these issues in an estate plan while you are alive rather than leaving these important decisions up to the Court. Without an estate plan, the decisions are made for you by the laws of Ohio and the Probate Judge in your county.