• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Zimmer Law Firm logo Zimmer Law Firm
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning Services in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Legacy Wealth Planning in Ohio
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning Services in Ohio
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • How the SECURE Act Impacts Your Ohio Estate Plan
    • Special Needs Estate Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Young Adult Legal Protection Plan in Ohio
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Ohio Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Zimmer Law Firm

Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

513.721.1513
Request a Free Consultation
Request a Free Consultation

Google initial with star next to it

  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning Services in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Legacy Wealth Planning in Ohio
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning Services in Ohio
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • How the SECURE Act Impacts Your Ohio Estate Plan
    • Special Needs Estate Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Young Adult Legal Protection Plan in Ohio
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Ohio Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Home Our Blog DIY Estate Planners Beware: Joint Ownership a Risky Tactic

DIY Estate Planners Beware: Joint Ownership a Risky Tactic

By Barry Zimmer on June 27th, 2013 in Estate Planning, Family disputes

Many people trying to plan their own estates fail to realize that joint ownership is not always a viable estate planning solution.  In fact, it’s one of the riskier choices an individual can make while planning his or her own last will.  Further, research by Consumer Reports has shown that do-it-yourself last wills often result in unintended consequences.

The truth is that when you leave behind a last will containing final instructions, a probate court supervises the estate.  In other words, the executor can only act under the probate court’s supervision.

With joint ownership, the person that is the co-owner of the property or the accounts becomes the sole owner after you die. There is no oversight, and there is no legally binding reason why this person has to give any portion of the money to anyone.  Your wishes in this regard are not enforceable.

Even if the person that you choose to act as a co-owner would never defy your wishes, he or she could become the target of a lawsuit or fall into debt. The funds that you have accumulated would be fair game for creditors or litigants. They would be lost to the intended recipient.

So-called easy answers often yield disastrous consequences in the world of estate planning, particularly when it comes to joint ownership. The only surefire way to make sure your estate plan is in line with your personal wishes is to consult a qualified estate planning attorney.

 

Primary Sidebar

Request a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Our Clients Say

Some years ago, Barry Zimmer suggested we do a basic estate plan for our son when he went to college. We had no idea how important it would be! In our son's freshman year, he ended up in the hospital, and we were able to get crucial information about his condition because we had a health care ...

Read All Testimonials

Zimmer Law Firm

9825 Kenwood Road
Suite 201
Cincinnati, OH 45242
  • Facebook Logo
  • Linkedin Logo
  • X Logo
  • Youtube Logo

Copyright © 2025 Zimmer Law Firm
Disclaimer Privacy Policy

 

Make a Payment