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2017 Tax Reform: What you need to know about Commuting Reimbursements

2017 Tax Reform: Commuting Reimbursements

These videos are designed to educate viewers on 2017 Tax Reform. These videos are not to be construed as legal advice. Please seek the advice of a local attorney regarding your specific situation.
For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit any of the following resources: www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice
www.tibbslawoffice.com
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Debt Collection: Being held liable for another’s debt

Debt Collection: Being held liable for another’s debt
A spouse can be held liable for the other’s medical bills if the following factors apply:
1) the patient spouse is unable to pay
2) the non-patient spouse is able to pay
If the above factors are shown, the non-patient spouse may be held liable for the patient spouse’s medical bills unless the non-patient spouse has been abandoned by the other spouse without cause.
I usually get asked about this subject in an estate planning context.  Once one spouse passes away,  it is rare for the creditor to collect and here is why:  In Ohio, the creditor’s claim must be made against the decedent’s estate within 6 months of the death.  If the creditor does not assert its claim within 6 months, the creditor’s claim is barred.  Once the claim is barred, the above rule applies.
If you are a surviving spouse finding yourself in the above situation, you should speak to an attorney.  You have a few options.  1) You can claim that you cannot pay, especially now that you have to pay for the cost of burying your spouse.  2) You could also claim that the patient spouse abandoned you without cause.  To determine if either of these arguments might work for you, you should seek the help of counsel to build your case.
Even with the above caviat, it is safe to tell clients that as a general rule, they will not be held liable for the debt’s of their spouse.  It is always important to seek the advice of an attorney if you find yourself in a situation where people are claiming that you are liable for another’s debt.  Creditors (and others) like to tell family members that they will be held liable, in an effort to collect.  Just because a creditor tells you this, it does not make it true.  Always seek the advice of a local attorney to address your specific situation.

Top 10 Videos Of 2015: What happens if the executor of a will fails to perform his or her fiduciary duty?

Top 10 Videos Of 2015 Probate Law: What happens if the executor of a will fails to perform his or her fiduciary duty?

In this video series, Tibbs Law Office is reviewing their top 10 videos of 2015, continuing with number 3, “What happens if the executor of a will fails to perform his or her fiduciary duty?”

For more online sources on this and similar topics, please visit our firm youtube channel at:

www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

 

Tibbs Law Office, LLC Introduction to 2017

Allow us to introduce ourselves.  This video should have been created and posted several months ago; however, its better late than never!  We hope you find our content helpful in your search for justice.

Top 10 Videos of 2018: #8 With 99 views during 2018, this video was the eighth most watched video of 2018.

Tibbs Law Office, LLC
8845 Governors Hill Dr., Ste 450
Cincinnati, OH 45249
(513) 793-7544
www.tibbslawoffice.com

http://www.youtube.com/tibbslawoffice

www.youtube.com/tibbslawofficeKentucky


Transfer on Death and Probate

I got into probate practice on accident.  It all started when I worked for my previous employer as a law clerk (after I had taken the bar but before I had received my results).  Our firm had received a telephone call from a client/investor.  Our client had an investment property and the person staying in the property had passed away.  Our client needed us to somehow get the property released from administration so that our client could re-rent the property without having to foreclose (actually, you have to open probate to foreclose but that is a long, complicated story.  He definitely did not want to foreclose if he could avoid it).

Since working on that case (and since receiving my license) I have worked on several similar cases, I have administered several estates and now my firm is expanding into estate planning.  A very common question that I am asked (usually from financial advisors) is about retirement accounts and probate.  People want to know the following: if they set up their retirement account to transfer on death to the designated beneficiaries, will the beneficiaries still have to pay “probate fees and taxes” on that money?

If a retirement account is set up to transfer on death, that money is still taken into consideration for federal and state estate tax purposes.  However, setting up the account so that it transfers on death, still keeps a considerable amount of money in the beneficiaries’ pockets.  Attorneys fees are generally calculated as a percentage of the probated and non-probated estate.  The percentage paid for non-probated property is much lower than for probated assets because the amount of legal work required to liquidate and distribute non-probated assets is much less.  In addition, the fiduciary of the estate gets paid according to a percentage of the probated and non-probated assets.  By keeping large accounts outside of probate, you are paying less to the attorneys and the fiduciary.

Transfer on death designations keep money in the family in other miscellaneous ways as well.  Less paperwork will be required for filing, which saves the family money because probate courts generally charge per page.  Also, if a bond is required, the bond will cost less.  Bonds are required to be secured for double the amount of the probated assets; the more in probated assets, the more the bond will cost.