Estate Planning Letter Study Course   Jim Skeeles Lorain County Extension Office, Ohio Even though we don't like to admit it, our assets will be transferred some day. A will is the most common set of instructions for transfer of our assets when we die. Everyone 18 or older should have a will. If no will is present, the State of Ohio has guidelines to determine who gets what when someone dies, which is likely different than what you and your heirs would prefer. The easy part of estate planning is transferring as much as possible to heirs. However, the most challenging and difficult part of estate planning is the "getting along" part. Estate plans need to consider the feelings of the parents and children or other heirs so the family and heirs are as "close" as possible after the death and settling of the estate of a loved one There is help available! A letter study course is available to get you started on your estate plan. You can proceed at your own pace and in the comfort of your home. The course is easy to understand, even for those not good in financial or legal matters. Both personal and financial aspects of estate planning are covered. Dr. James Skeeles, Extension Educator, Lorain County developed the course. Recently Russell Cunningham, Attorney in Dublin, OH, updated and added sections on conservation easements and generation skipping trusts to the letter study. The letter study consists of 12 weekly lessons. Each lesson contains the lesson (average length is 6 pages), 1-2 pages of questions on the lesson and an answer sheet for the previous lesson. To enroll, send your name, address and check to Russell Cunningham, Letter Study, 7269 Sawmill Road, Dublin, OH 43016. The course is available in 4 different forms: $30 - 12 lessons with 3 ring notebook sent in weekly installments. Weekly lessons start the first week of January but all the below options are available now: $25 - lessons and notebook sent in one mailing to your home $20 - lessons sent to you on CD $15 - lessons sent to you as an attachment to an Email (For this option, make sure you send us your Email address with your order and that you can receive a 4,429 K file) This course can save you and your heirs money, but the main benefit of the course will be that it will make you more at ease with estate planning, thus more willing to proceed with your plan.