Roberson Law Specilizing in Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law

Quarterly News

LAW ALERT: The Ohio Homestead Exemption Deadline is Approaching!

 

Don't miss your chance to submit your application for a reduction in property taxes through the Ohio Homestead Exemption Program.  To qualify, you must own the home where you live and be 65 years of age or older, or be permanently or totally disabled.  You may qualify for the exemption even if you own a mobile home. All applications must be submitted by Monday, June 3!

 

There are no income restrictions to qualify, and the Homestead Exemption is issued in the form of a credit on property tax bills.

 

Homes that have had property ownership transferred to a trust may still qualify for the Homestead Exemption if: 1) The trust is effective during your lifetime, 2) You are the settlor of the trust, 3) The trust is revocable, and 4) The trust document indicates that  you have complete possession of the property.

 

If you already received the property tax credit or have previously submitted an application for the Homestead Exemption, then you do not need to apply again.  To complete the application, you may go online or call the Montgomery County Auditor's Homestead Hotline at 937.225.4341.  Enrollment in the program is open until Monday, June 3rd, 2013. 

 

What's New About the Homestead Exemption?  On March 27, 2013, the law went into effect that increases the exemption limit that single homeowners can declare on the equity in their homes to $125,000 from the current limit of $21,625. The limit is per person, meaning that if a couple in bankruptcy jointly owns a home, they can protect up to $250,000 of the home's equity.

Nancy Roberson's final Living With Loss article is published   Living With Loss logo

As the English Proverb goes, "All good things must come to an end."  During the past four years, Nancy Roberson has been the author of a column titled "You Don't Know What You Don't Know" for Living With Loss Magazine.  After many years of circulation, Bereavement Publishing decided to stop publishing the magazine, which addressed grief issues for people who were experiencing various types of losses in their lives.
 
The last issue of Living With Loss features an article that Nancy Roberson wrote about the grief and issues involved with moving away from those whom you love.  
 
Read the article titled "A Moving Loss" here.
Who doesn't love a free dinner on the town?
Find us on Facebook
 
In January, we randomly selected one lucky person who "liked" Roberson Law on Facebook to win a $50.00 gift card to a restaurant of his or her choice. The winner was Greg Blatt, who chose a gift certificate to J. Alexander's. "Like" us now and don't miss this easy chance to win!  The winner will be announced on our Facebook page at the end of May.

Elderly Woman

Elder Law Update

 

One of the most frequent questions we get asked in our office is whether a person can get paid to provide caregiver services to another family member who is living at home without causing the family member to get disqualified from Medicaid.  

 

Read an interview with Roberson Law attorney Kristina Rainer that addresses the most frequently asked questions associated with Personal Services Agreements as they pertain to paying family members for caregiver services and qualifying for Medicaid. 

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Did you know that we have a department dedicated to senior services?

  • Preserve your savings from nursing home costs
  • Keep your home in the family
  • Know when to apply for Medicaid
  • Receive help finding the right nursing home

Check out our blog and our web page on Elder Law! 

 

Click here to view our website and video on YouTube! 

 

Roberson Law Video


Office picture

    

 
Our mission is to  provide excellent, compassionate legal services to help people plan for the unexpected and prepare for the inevitable.
 
News You Can Use
In This Issue: 
  • LAW ALERT: The Ohio Homestead Exemption Deadline is Approaching!
  • Is Probate Really That Bad?
  • Estate Planning Issues Affecting Women
  • Nancy Roberson's Final Living With Loss article is published
  • Elder Law Update: Would You Like to Get Paid For Taking Care of Your Parents?
  • Not Funding Your Trust is NOT an Option!
  • Roberson Law's Newest Associate
  • Nancy Roberson Travels to Cleveland to Receive Award 
  • Widows' Support Groups
  • Need a Speaker For Your Next Event?
Is Probate Really That Bad?   

 

One of the top five reasons clients give us for doing their estate planning is so that their estates will avoid having to go through probate after they die.

Gavel
Robert Deschene, an estate planning attorney in Massachusetts, has written a good synopsis of probate and why or why not one would want to avoid going through probate.

 

Click here to read Deschene's article titled "Which Hurts More, Root Canal or Probate?"

Estate Planning Issues Affecting Women 


Last month, Nancy Roberson was interviewed by Michelle Graves for the "Power of Money" segment that airs on DATV.  The segment was Part 1 of two interviews with Nancy for the taping that was titled

"Challenges of Legacy Planning."  
 
The issues discussed pertained to women and the challenges that women face as they age, specifically issues pertaining to estate planning.  Watch the video here.
Not Funding Your Trust is NOT an Option!
A common misconception that many people have is that the act of obtaining a Trust alone will help you avoid probate and save estate taxes.  Many of our clients will come and sign their Trust documents and then that will be the last time that they will think about their Trust for a long, long time.

Although we suggest that those who have signed a  Trust schedule a follow up meeting with us to review their Trust funding, many people decide not to do so and then end up leaving their unfunded Trust as prey to the probate court and estate taxation, which defeats several material reasons for setting up a Trust.
 
Funding your Trust is crucial because your Trust controls only those assets actually owned by or payable on death (POD) and/or transferrable on death (TOD) to the Trustee.
 
Any assets not owned by, POD, or TOD to the Trust may (1) need to be probated after your death, (2) be subject to statutory marital rights if you remarry, or (3) not be eligible for transfer to your Trust after your death to regulate distributions to the beneficiaries (such as minor children), which would once again defeat your key reasons for setting up your Trust.  Therefore, you should carefully attend to this important step in your estate plan.
 
Roberson Law's Newest Associate   
The newest addition to the Roberson Law staff of attorneys is Kim Estess, who had previously worked at Roberson Law as a law clerk while attending the University of Dayton School of Law.  
 
Kim is a Kim Cullman 1 native of Centerville, Ohio, and attended Indiana University to obtain her undergraduate degree in Journalism before going to law school. Kim's specific practice area has been focused on Estate Planning since 2010, and she has been learning this niche area of law under the guidance of Nancy Roberson for the past three years.  
 
Spring Special:
Would you like to discuss your estate plan or have your existing Will, Trust, or Power of Attorney reviewed by an attorney for free? 

Kim Estess will meet with clients for their initial meeting at no charge during the months of April and May. The cost of this consultation is valued at $250.00. The offer is only valid for appointments scheduled with Kim Estess and is only valid for new clients of Roberson Law. The fees incurred to prepare the estate planning documents will be charged at our regular hourly rates. Please mention this offer when scheduling your appointment. 
Nancy Roberson Travels to Cleveland to Receive Award  
 
On April 23, 2013, Nancy Roberson was honored by the Ohio Diversity Council as a recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award.  The award was presented to Nancy at the 2013 Northeast Ohio Multicultural Leadership Summit hosted at Cleveland State University.  
 
The Leadership Excellence Award distinguishes individuals from all backgrounds who are senior vice presidents or higher level executives within their respective organizations and companies.  A variety of criteria are considered when the choosing the recipients of this award. The leaders are recognized in the categories of Corporate, Education, Legal and Medical.  Nancy Roberson traveled to Cleveland with her husband, Bob Roberson, to accept the award at the luncheon held on behalf of the award honorees.

 

Roberson Law Dayton Ohio


Widows' Support Groups

This is a reminder that two widows' support groups are now serving the Miami Valley.

The Young Widows' Support Group (under age 50) meets on the first Thursday of each month from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Normandy United Methodist Church, located at 450 West Alex-Bell Road, Centerville, Ohio.

 

The Widows' Support Group (over age 50) meets on the first Friday of each month from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Normandy United Methodist Church, located at 450 West Alex-Bell Road, Centerville, Ohio.
 
For more information about the Young Widows' Support Group, visit the website, call Pam Walker at 937.434.7981, or email [email protected].

 

For further information about the Widows' Support Group, call or email Sherry Matsel at 937.878.9707 or [email protected].

Need a Speaker For Your Next Event?

  

We are grateful for all of the opportunities that Nancy Roberson was given to speak at special events around the state of Ohio in 2012.  The first part of 2013 proved to be just as busy as Nancy spoke a total of eight times in January through April to various civic organizations, non-profit groups, and churches about her personal story and the importance of planning for death and disability. 

 

Thank you to Alpha Gamma Delta Alumnae Club, Alzheimer's Association, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Kettering Moraine Oakwood Chamber of Commerce, and EmpowerU for inviting Nancy to speak for your special events!

 

If you would like Nancy to speak at your next event, please call 937.643.2000 or email Amy Cary at [email protected] to book your event.  Nancy has an inspiring story that captivates and motivates audiences to get their affairs in order. 

 

As always, we never charge a fee for our professional speaking services, and we require a minimum of  only ten people to attend in order to book an event.  You may also go to our speaking engagements page on our website to read some testimonials from past attendees and to obtain more information about speaking engagement opportunities. 

2013 Staff Picture
Thank you to Julie Walling of Walling Photography for taking Roberson Law's new staff picture for 2013!


All material in this newsletter is Copyright � 2013 by Nancy A. Roberson. All rights reserved.