“Inheritance is not simply an economic issue,” said Miller, the Family and Consumer Science Educator in the Ohio State University Extension Office for Clark and Champaign Counties. “The decisions also involve emotional issues.”
Transferring titled property, like houses and vehicles, is determined through legal methods, such as wills and by courts, she said. But deciding who gets non-titled property like personal belongings is a different matter that can lead to difficult situations and hurt feelings.
“You certainly don’t want your distribution (of items) to cause chaos or dissension,” Miller said.
And while “there is no perfect method of transfer,” Miller did provide some suggestions on distributing such items.
First, determine your goals. That, she indicated, can include preserving memories, improving family relationships, maintaining privacy, being fair to the persons involved and contributing to society — especially when items of historical significance are involved.
Miller pointed out that decisions about who gets which items are best made prior to the owner’s death, ensuring that the owner’s wishes are reflected. That can be done through wills, lists, gifts, private or silent auctions involving just relatives, or without a will — with a selected person making the decisions.
In deciding who gets items, Miller suggested considering factors like matching items to a person’s gender — for instance women’s clothing to females, etc. Other useful methods can be utilizing the birth order of recipients, considering the financial, emotional or physical needs of those involved and marital status of recipients.
And she stressed the importance of communication, suggesting that the process begin prior to the owner’s death.
That could include determining the meaning of items to recipients, making a list of special items and gathering information from children, grandchildren and other relatives before deciding what to pass on to them. Sharing stories that may determine the significance of items can also help.
The local OSU Extension Office has more information on the subject. It is located in the Springview Government Center, 3120 E. Main St., in Springfield. The phone number is 937-521-3860.
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