Penny wise and pound foolish

By Beth Newcomb

With do-it-yourself estate planning documents easily accessible online, often for less money than it costs to sit down with a qualified attorney, it may be tempting to throw caution to the wind and entrust that your estate, medical and financial wishes will be accurately represented on a generic form.

Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish, advises John J. Urban, an attorney who has concentrated in estate management since the mid ‘70s. 

“I had clients whose mother had died,” John begins. “They decided to transfer her property into their names and went online to do exactly that. One of the kids then went to the bank and borrowed money against the property. What they failed to discover prior to the transfer was the substantial Medicaid lien against the property. Now they’re all in trouble with Medicaid and are on the hook for the lien. A layperson may not have seen the red flag in the form of a Medicaid lien, but a qualified attorney would have known how to ensure the title was clean.”

John describes another client who went online to do his will, then brought it in for a review. 

“I asked him why he had disinherited his children,” John says. “The man was shocked to learn that the online form he’d completed made no provision for his kids, and the will had to be redone.”

John is offering a free document review for people who have estate planning documents in place, so they can be certain everything is in order. Call for an appointment to get the process started.

For Mimi readers, John provides a free legal services consultation in person or on the phone and offers his services at a contracted discount rate. Be sure to mention this story when you schedule an appointment. House calls and select evening appointments available.

To reach attorney John J. Urban, call 440-846-0000, ext. 227. His offices are located at 11221 Pearl Road, in Strongsville. Visit the website at JJUrbanLaw.com.