The Hardest Part of Getting a Will Is Starting. We Make That Easy.
Most people in the Cincinnati area have been meaning to get a will for years. Not because they don't care — because it feels complicated, and life keeps moving. One conversation with our team changes that. We coordinate the entire process, from the legal document to the financial alignment, so you leave with everything in order.
What a Will Actually Does — and What It Doesn't
A last will and testament is the legal document that names who receives your property, who cares for your minor children, and who is responsible for carrying out your wishes after you're gone. In Ohio, a will goes through probate — the court-supervised process of validating the document and distributing your estate. That process takes time and becomes part of the public record.
What a will does not cover: assets held in a living trust, retirement accounts with named beneficiaries, and jointly held property with right of survivorship. Those assets pass outside the will entirely. Understanding this distinction is the first step toward building an estate plan that actually works the way you intend.
If you're weighing whether a will, a living trust, or both is the right approach for your family, that's exactly what the estate planning consultation is designed to answer.
What Happens If You Die Without a Will in Ohio?
Ohio's intestacy laws determine who inherits your estate if you pass without a valid will in place. The state follows a fixed formula — your assets go to your closest legal relatives in a prescribed order, regardless of your actual wishes, your family dynamics, or any informal promises you may have made. A surviving spouse, adult children, and other relatives may all have competing claims under the formula, and the probate court sorts it out.
The result is rarely what people would have chosen. Dying without a will in Ohio doesn't simplify anything for your family — it transfers the decision-making to a process you had no part in designing.
Getting a will in place is the first step toward making sure your wishes hold.
How We Handle the Will Process
We don't practice law — and we don't have to. Our role is to coordinate the full picture: the legal document, the financial accounts, and the beneficiary designations that determine how your estate actually transfers.
1. Estate Planning Consultation
We sit down and review your assets, your family structure, and your goals. We explain the difference between a will and a living trust in plain language, and we tell you which documents make sense for your situation — not a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
2. Legal Document Preparation
We work alongside Lisa Brown, our partner estate attorney, who drafts and executes your will. You don't have to find an attorney, schedule a separate intake, or brief someone new from scratch. That coordination is already built into the process.
3. Financial Alignment
Once the will is in place, we review your retirement accounts, IRA and 401(k) beneficiary designations, and any life insurance policies to make sure everything is aligned. A will can name one beneficiary while your IRA names a different one — and the IRA designation wins. We close that gap.
Will or Trust — We'll Tell You Which One You Actually Need
Not everyone needs a living trust. Everyone needs to understand why. The right answer depends on what you own, how it's titled, whether you want to avoid Ohio probate, and what you want your family's experience to be after you're gone.
We explain the difference clearly during the estate planning consultation and recommend the right document set for your situation. Some clients leave with a will only. Some leave with a will, a trust, and powers of attorney. Some discover that their biggest estate planning gap was a missing beneficiary designation on a retirement account — not the absence of a legal document at all.
The goal is a complete plan, not a single document.
Your Family Shouldn't Have to Figure It Out in a Crisis
Clients who complete the estate planning process through A to Z leave with a full document set — will, trust if applicable, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations aligned — along with a summary their family can access when it matters most. Nothing left to interpret. Nothing left to search for.
That's the goal: organized, documented, and ready before it's needed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wills in Ohio
Does a will avoid probate in Ohio?
No. A will does not avoid probate — it guides the probate process. Your estate still goes through Ohio's court-supervised distribution system, which takes time and becomes part of the public record. If avoiding probate is a priority, a living trust may be the more appropriate tool, and we can walk you through the difference during your consultation.What happens if I die without a will in Ohio?
Ohio's intestacy laws take over, and the state distributes your estate according to a fixed legal formula — not your wishes. Your surviving spouse, children, and other relatives may all have claims, and the outcome is determined by statute rather than anything you intended. A valid will is the most direct way to make sure your preferences are honored.Can I change my will after I make it?
Yes. A will can be updated at any time while you are alive and of sound mind, either through a formal amendment called a codicil or by executing a new will entirely. Major life changes — marriage, divorce, the birth of a grandchild, a significant shift in assets — are common reasons to revisit the document. We recommend reviewing your estate documents every few years as part of your broader retirement planning review. Do my will and my IRA beneficiary designation need to match? Not necessarily — but they need to be intentional. Your IRA beneficiary designation passes assets directly to the named individual, completely outside your will and outside probate. If your will names one person and your IRA names another, the IRA designation controls. Many people discover this mismatch only after a loss, when it's too late to correct. Aligning your beneficiary designations with your overall estate plan is one of the most important steps we take during the estate planning engagement.