Gunsher Attorneys, Ltd. Legal Blog

If you are an Ohio resident who is doing your estate planning, one basic document you will need to draft is your will. Every adult should have at least this basic document to direct how they desire their estate to be distributed. However, wills are legal documents, and as such, must conform to th...

Life is full of twists and turns. You may envision a long and healthy life, but sometimes, things don't always go as planned. A sudden illness or an accident can leave you incapacitated and unable to make independent decisions. Picture a car crash that leaves you in a coma for months. Without the...

An estate plan needs an executor to ensure the testator's wishes are fulfilled. If you are named an executor of a loved one's will and accept the appointment, you should be well informed about your duties. Although rarely discussed, being an executor can be overwhelming. But a few tips can help y...

Life insurance is technically separate from the estate planning process because it does not pass through probate. However, virtually everyone who has a spouse or children should make getting life insurance a priority. Families throughout Butler County have been able to turn to life insurance to h...

A will is one of the most crucial legal documents you can ever execute. With one in place, you can rest easy knowing that your hard-earned wealth will pass down to the rightful people and causes when you die. If you die without one in place, on the other hand, the government would step in and dec...

An estate plan shouldn't be made and forgotten. Because life is always changing, the testator may need to consider updating their estate plan regularly. However, there may be times when an estate plan needs to be altered sooner rather than later. Here's when: 1. Marriage It's a common occurrence ...

A medical power of attorney allows you to choose an agent who can act on your behalf. You give this agent the legal power to make medical decisions for you. This is useful if you've been incapacitated and can no longer communicate your wishes. That being said, most people have not done their esta...

Estate planning is the process surrounding what happens to your assets upon your death. There is also much more to it, such as naming guardians for your children and ensuring that your healthcare needs are met in the event you become incapacitated.  One of the key estate planning documents is the...

There are several parties that testators need to identify by name in their estate planning documents. The executor or representative who will handle estate administration is often selected specifically by the testator, and naming the right person for this role influences someone's final legacy. C...

When you set up a trust, you may decide that you have a goal that you want to accomplish, and you can focus that trust directly on your goal. For example, maybe you know that the cost of college tuition can be prohibitive for many young people and you want to make sure that your heirs get an educ...

Creating a will and estate plan is the responsible step to ensure your loved ones are taken care of after you pass away. However, even if you spend weeks figuring out the best way to divide your assets and plan your estate, all this is worthless if you do not select the right executor. When you c...

Much of the estate planning process revolves around property and finances. A will dictates who will benefit from your hard-earned savings and assets upon your incapacitation.  However, there is much more to the process than money. For instance, you can give written instructions on who should make...

There are several reasons you may want to keep your assets out of probate, which is the court-controlled process of administering your estate when you are gone. It could be because you want your loved ones to take over your estate immediately, or you have concerns about the probate process and co...

A person creating an estate plan has to ensure they're doing things in a way that passes their assets down to their heirs in the best manner possible. The plan should also cover end-of-life plans so your affairs can be taken care of if you're incapacitated. Trusts are one of the tools available t...

Powers of attorney are documents that people create but intensely hope that they will never need to actually use. After all, a power of attorney only transfers authority to your agent or attorney when you are incapacitated and can no longer act on your own behalf. People usually create powers of ...

Creating an estate plan is a smart way to protect yourself and your family when you pass away. Several documents make up the estate plan, including wills and trusts.  Some people believe that with a trust, a will is unnecessary. However, trusts are limited in what they can do and knowing the fact...

Creating an estate plan is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. But when should you actually get around to doing it?  This can be a difficult question to answer, but there are some general guidelines you can follow. Significant life events call for an esta...

If you have not yet made an estate plan, you should make it a priority. You cannot know when you will fall ill or die, and estate plans put provisions in place for both these events.  Understanding where to start puts many people off. Consider these three documents as the basics: 1. A will What d...

Losing a member of your immediate family is a tragic experience, and certain issues might make the tragedy even worse. For example, your parent recently died and they always stated that they would divide their property evenly among you and your siblings, it would be a painful shock to see that th...

When a person dies, the individual appointed to administer their estate will step up and get started on the process.  While this often involves dealing with distributing assets according to a will, there's also the issue of handling any unpaid debt. It leaves executors and beneficiaries of the de...

Some individuals create wills to leave property, heirlooms or money in good hands. According to the Ohio Revised Code Chapter 2107, a person has to be 18 or older to make a will, be of sound mind and have at least two adult witnesses present upon signing the will.  Leaving your possessions to an ...

The trail you leave behind after you are gone is vital, especially if you care about your legacy. If you are fortunate enough to accumulate wealth, starting a charitable trust can help you share your wealth beyond the people closest to you.  But what is a charitable trust? A charitable trust is a...

If you've just inherited a substantial amount of money or other assets from a parent or other elderly loved one, it can be disconcerting. You may have had no idea, given their frugal lifestyle, that they had so much money saved. It's normal to have a lot of emotions around it as you settle their ...

 Creating a will is an important step toward ensuring that your hard-earned assets will be distributed according to your wishes when you pass on. Without a valid will in place, your estate might be distributed as provided by Ohio intestacy laws. However, you need your will to remain current if yo...

Your estate plan may include numerous documents. You may have a simple will that names a guardian for your children and designates beneficiaries for some of your assets. You might have a trust that changes the official owner of your home or other valuable property to protect it from creditors and...