GF593 Unit 2 Ohio Widower Probate Property Inventory Example

Reviewed by Chester Goodwin, MBA Estate Planning Purdue University Global Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This GF593 Unit 2 inventory follows ten assets to show why a will dividing everything equally can still leave three children unequal. Purdue Global GF 593, Estate Planning, asks MS in Finance students to trace property by its title and beneficiary form rather than by the owner's intentions. A composite Columbus widower of 74 owns $1,505,900, including a 140-acre hunting tract in Kentucky that would need a second probate. His will controls only $671,500. A convenience joint account, a brokerage account registered to one daughter and an annuity that skips one son push the results apart, so Claire receives $87,400 more than a third and Owen $62,600 less.

CourseGF593 Estate Planning
UnitUnit 2
Paper typeProbate property inventory
LengthAbout 900 words, 6 pages double-spaced
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolPurdue University Global
ProgramMS in Finance
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for GF593 Unit 2

1

Equal in the Will, Unequal in Fact: A Unit 2 Probate Property Inventory for an Ohio Widower

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

GF593: Estate Planning

Unit 2 Probate Property Inventory

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The widower, his children, the assets and every value are composite and illustrative; the statute, the court decision and the sources cited are real; this inventory is coursework, not legal advice.

What this part is doingPutting the total, the will's intent and the unequal result in the lead shows the reader what the inventory is built to prove.
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Purpose and Method

Walter Brandt is 74, lives in Columbus and lost his wife three years ago. His 2015 will leaves his estate in equal shares to Daniel, Claire and Owen. The question for this unit is not what the will says but what it controls. A will governs only property that passes through probate, and a large share of most estates now moves by contract, title or registration instead (Langbein, 1984). Each asset below was therefore traced from its own document: the deed, the account agreement, the policy or the beneficiary confirmation, not Walter's memory.

The Inventory

1. House in Columbus, $348,000. Titled in Walter's sole name since his wife's death passed it to him by survivorship. No transfer on death designation affidavit has been recorded. Passes through Ohio probate under the will: equal thirds.

2. Hunting tract in Kentucky, 140 acres, $186,000. Sole name. Land is governed by the courts of the state that holds it, so this tract needs an ancillary probate in Kentucky in addition to the Ohio estate. Under the will: equal thirds.

3. Savings account held jointly with Daniel, $96,000. Opened with right of survivorship so Daniel could pay bills when Walter was ill. Passes to Daniel alone.

4. Life insurance, $100,000. Still names his late wife, with no contingent beneficiary. Paid to Walter's estate and passes through Ohio probate: equal thirds.

5. Rollover IRA, $412,000. Names the three children equally. Passes outside probate: equal thirds.

6. Brokerage account, $150,000. Registered transfer on death to Claire alone, set up when she helped him move it. Passes to Claire.

7. Certificate of deposit, $60,000. Payable on death to all three. Equal thirds.

8. Annuity, $116,400. Names Claire and Owen equally; Daniel was left off when it was bought. Passes $58,200 each to Claire and Owen.

9. Car, $22,400. Sole name, no beneficiary on the title. Ohio probate: equal thirds.

10. Household goods and tools, $15,100. Ohio probate: equal thirds.

The will divides only $671,500 of a $1,505,900 estate; the other $834,400 follows forms Walter signed one at a time, and three of those forms favor one child.

Totals by Route

1. Ohio probate estate: house, insurance, car and household goods, $485,500.

2. Kentucky ancillary estate: hunting tract, $186,000.

3. Outside probate: joint account, IRA, brokerage, CD and annuity, $834,400.

The three routes add back to $1,505,900. Probate costs, court fees and any debts would reduce only the first two, so the actual gap between the children would be wider than shown below.

What Each Child Receives

An equal third of $1,505,900 is about $501,967.

1. Daniel: a third of the probate property, $223,833, a third of the IRA, $137,333, a third of the CD, $20,000, and the joint account, $96,000. Total $477,167, or $24,800 less than a third.

2. Claire: the same three shares, $381,167, plus the brokerage account, $150,000, and half the annuity, $58,200. Total $589,367, or $87,400 more than a third.

3. Owen: the same three shares, $381,167, plus half the annuity, $58,200. Total $439,367, or $62,600 less than a third.

What this part is doingShowing each child's total against an exact third lets a grader verify the inequality line by line.
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Notes on the Three Problem Assets

The joint account. In Ohio, opening a joint and survivorship account is treated as conclusive evidence that the depositor meant the survivor to own the balance, unless fraud, duress or lack of capacity is shown (Wright v. Bloom, 1994). That Walter added Daniel only for convenience does not change the result. Daniel could share the money with his siblings, but that would be his own gift, and amounts above the annual exclusion would require him to file a gift tax return.

The brokerage account and the annuity. Both forms were filled out at the moment one child was helping, and neither reflects the will. Each can be changed by Walter in a few minutes while he is alive. After his death neither can be changed at all.

The Kentucky tract. Ancillary probate means a second court, a second set of fees and usually a Kentucky attorney. Placing the land in a revocable trust, or in a single-member LLC whose interest passes under the Ohio estate plan, would avoid the second proceeding.

What this part is doingPairing each problem asset with the rule that decides it, and with its repair, keeps the notes from reading as a list of complaints.
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Corrections to Discuss with Walter

1. Ask whether the brokerage account and the annuity were meant to favor Claire and Owen. If not, re-register the account and change the annuity form to all three children equally.

2. Convert the joint account to Walter's sole name with a payable on death designation to all three, keeping Daniel as an agent under a financial power of attorney so he can still pay bills.

3. Name the three children as beneficiaries of the life policy, which moves $100,000 out of probate.

4. Record a transfer on death designation affidavit for the Columbus house (Ohio Rev. Code § 5302.22, 2025), naming the three children.

5. Move the Kentucky tract into a revocable trust to avoid ancillary probate.

With those five changes, every asset would reach the children in equal thirds and almost nothing would pass through either court.

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References

Langbein, J. H. (1984). The nonprobate revolution and the future of the law of succession. Harvard Law Review, 97(5), 1108-1141. https://doi.org/10.2307/1340825

Ohio Rev. Code § 5302.22 (2025).

Wright v. Bloom, 69 Ohio St. 3d 596 (1994).

What the GF593 Unit 2 assignment asks for

For Unit 2 in GF593 you build an inventory of everything a client owns and show where each item would go if the client died today. Gather the actual documents, such as deeds, account agreements and beneficiary confirmations, instead of relying on what the client remembers. For each asset record its value, how it is titled, the rule that moves it at death, who receives it and whether it passes through probate. Assets in another state need their own line, because land there may require a second court proceeding. Total the probate estate, any ancillary estate and the property passing outside probate, and check that the three totals add back to the whole. Then compare what each beneficiary receives with what the will intends. Explain the assets that cause the gap, using the state's rule where it matters, and list corrections the client can make while alive. Cite the statute, the case and a source on nonprobate transfers in APA 7.

Inside the GF593 Unit 2 example

A short method section explains why the inventory traces documents rather than intentions, citing Langbein's account of the nonprobate revolution. Ten numbered lines follow, from the Columbus house and the Kentucky tract to the CD, the annuity and the household goods. The highlighted sentence states that the will divides only $671,500. A totals section gives $485,500 of Ohio probate property, $186,000 in Kentucky and $834,400 outside probate. Each child's total is then set against an exact third of about $501,967. Notes explain the three problem assets: the joint account, which Wright v. Bloom treats as Daniel's despite Walter's purpose, the one-child brokerage registration and annuity, and the second probate in Kentucky. Five corrections close the worksheet, including a transfer on death designation affidavit under Ohio Rev. Code § 5302.22 for the house and a revocable trust for the land.

GF593 Unit 2 rubric: what earns full points

Most of the credit on this GF593 inventory comes from tracing every asset correctly and showing the totals. Instructors check that each line names the rule that actually moves the property: survivorship, a beneficiary form, a registration or the will. A total that does not reconcile to the whole estate costs points quickly. The comparison with the will's intent is where analysis begins, and a submission that stops at a list of assets misses the purpose of the unit. Explaining why the problem assets behave as they do, with the state rule cited, shows understanding beyond bookkeeping. Ancillary probate for out-of-state land is a frequent test point. Corrections earn credit when each one is specific enough to act on and fixes a named gap. A real Ohio statute, an Ohio Supreme Court decision and Langbein's law review article, cited in APA 7, support the inventory.

GF593 Unit 2 help: mistakes that cost points

Students working GF593 Unit 2 often assume the will controls everything, then list assets without asking how each one is titled. Joint accounts opened for convenience are a frequent trap, because many states give the balance to the surviving owner regardless of why the account was opened. Out-of-state real estate is often left in the main probate estate, missing the second proceeding it needs. Life policies naming a spouse who has died are easy to overlook; with no contingent beneficiary, the money falls into probate. Some inventories give only totals, so a grader cannot check each child's share. Others identify the gap but recommend nothing. Before you submit, make sure your three totals add back to the whole estate, that every beneficiary's share is compared with the will's plan, and that each correction names the account and the change needed.

Get a GF593 Unit 2 example written to your instructions

Inventories rise or fall on asset facts. Supply the ones in your Unit 2 case, including how each item is titled if the case says, plus the state and rubric; a composite widower can stand in if none is given. Expect a sorted table, probate and nonprobate totals and a per-heir comparison. First sample free, 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

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GF593 Unit 2 questions, answered

Should the inventory include debts and probate costs?

If the prompt asks for a net figure, yes. The sample lists gross values and says plainly that debts and administration costs are excluded, because the unit's question is where property goes rather than how much remains. Where a mortgage or loan exists, one line beneath the table can show it without disturbing the titling analysis above.

Where can I find a free GF593 Unit 2 sample paper?

This page carries a full GF593 Unit 2 probate property inventory for an Ohio widower with ten assets, a Kentucky hunting tract, totals by route, each child's share against an equal third, corrections and APA 7 references.

Why does the joint savings account go only to Daniel?

In Ohio, opening a joint and survivorship account is treated as conclusive evidence that the depositor intended the survivor to own it, unless fraud, duress or incapacity is shown. Walter's reason, letting Daniel pay bills, does not change the result.

What is ancillary probate in GF593 Unit 2?

It is a second probate proceeding in another state, needed when a person dies owning real estate there. Walter's Kentucky tract would require one, with its own court, fees and attorney, unless the land is moved into a revocable trust or an entity first.

How can the Columbus house avoid probate?

Ohio allows an owner to record a transfer on death designation affidavit naming who receives real estate at death. Recording one for the house, naming all three children, would move $348,000 out of probate without changing Walter's ownership during his life.