Stop paying extra to be dead

By Beth Newcomb

Nobody wants to pay more than they have to for pretty much anything. Then why do we, as a society, insist on paying extra when it comes to estate matters?

There are ways to avoid shelling out additional money for the probate process, says Linda Nabors, who, along with her husband, Jay, is an attorney with Nabors and Nabors, the Strongsville-based law firm where John J. Urban is of counsel.

“Most people just don’t consider the options,” she laments. “They think because they have a will it automatically eliminates the need to go to probate court, but that isn’t the case. A will is just a guideline for who gets what and who should handle the estate.”

“We see people all the time who end up spending more to go through probate than an item is worth,” she adds.

“For example, a car that may only have a few thousand dollars worth of value becomes virtually worthless after the probate process because its value is eaten up by attorney fees and court costs, when a simple title addition would have avoided probate entirely.”

There are a number of ways to modify ownership of an item to keep it from going through probate. Jay and Linda can sit down with you to help you navigate which items of value in your estate can transfer on death, and help to ensure the items are titled the right way or have a properly named beneficiary.

“You can have a beneficiary on just about anything,” she inserts. “We’ll show you how to make the necessary changes so you can avoid going through probate—and leave more of your estate to your heirs.”

Nabors & Nabors offers Mimi readers a free legal services consultation in person or on the phone, with services at a contracted discount rate. Mention this story when you schedule an appointment. House calls and select evening appointments available.

To reach the attorneys at Nabors & Nabors Ltd., with John J. Urban of counsel, call 440-846-0000, ext. 227. The offices are located at 11221 Pearl Road, in Strongsville. Visit the website at Nabors-Law.com.