A will is a written legal document that contains instructions for distributing your assets after your death. You may also nominate a guardian for your minor children. Your will must be formally executed in order to be considered valid by the Ohio courts. It must conform to Ohio state laws in order to be enforceable.

No one is required to have a will—but it’s a good idea to have one. If you die without a will, the state has created one for you. Any assets you leave behind will be distributed to your next of kin, according to Ohio’s intestacy laws. Therefore, if you have specific wishes about how you want your property distributed, you should prepare a will.

Yes. Your will is valid and effective until it is revoked, destroyed or invalidated by writing a new will. You can make a whole new will or you may alter an existing will by making a codicil. A codicil modifies an existing will so long as it is executed in compliance with applicable state law. You cannot simply cross out language within your current will or add a new provision as this type of action does not usually meet the legal requirements for executing a valid will.

If you die without a will, your assets will be distributed to your next of kin, according to state intestacy laws instead of your wishes. Your next of kin may request to be the probate administrator. Alternatively, an attorney can be the administrator.

In Ohio, you can contest a will on the following grounds:

• The will is invalid due to error in its creation or execution
• The testator was of unsound mind when the will was created, witnessed and signed
• A beneficiary has had undue influence on the will

Working with an attorney can help your beneficiaries avoid these issues. Many self-made wills from online sources end up being invalid because there isn’t a trained attorney to make sure your will is validly executed.

A power of attorney gives a designated person legal power to make decisions on your behalf. There are two primary types: financial power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney. In preparing powers of attorney, you get to decide who will make these important decisions for you if you are unable. If you are incapacitated and don’t have a power of attorney in place a guardianship will need to be set up for you in the probate court. The court will decide who makes decisions for you. A power of attorney avoids that mess, and that person can then make medical decisions, pay your bills, file taxes and other important functions.

Technically, no—but it’s highly recommended. When you consult a board-certified estate planning attorney like Bart Leonardi, he can objectively evaluate your goals and desires and determine the best way to accomplish them.

You can almost always avoid at least some of your assets having to be probated and sometimes all of them. There are a number of ways to avoid probate with proper estate planning. Consulting a board-certified specialist in estate planning is the best way to plan your estate.