Category: Estate Planning Attorney

If you want to donate to charity or reduce your estate taxes in Illinois, charitable giving is a vital estate planning and financial tool to understand. Learn about charitable giving and reducing estate taxes below, then speak to our estate planning attorneys in Illinois for assistance. Charitable Giving For Reducing Estate Taxes Many estate planning […]

If you are unhappy with a beneficiary designation in an Illinois will, you can contest it, but you must have standing, which means you have something to gain when the case is decided. Learn how to contest a beneficiary designation below, then talk to our Illinois estate planning attorneys for assistance. How To Contest A […]

Many Illinois residents may think that estate planning is only for older people who want to pass on assets to their families after they pass away. However, estate planning is about more than that. Proper estate planning services can be used to reduce taxes, obtain healthcare, and protect the assets of younger families. However, mistakes […]

No one can predict the future, especially when it comes to our own mortality. For this reason, it usually pays to be as prepared as possible when it comes to the estate planning process. This includes not only creating an initial estate plan, but also updating that estate plan after major life changes. Failing to […]

When a person dies, his or her estate is distributed to surviving loved ones through the process of inheritance. Inheritances can take many forms, including cash endowments, stocks, real estate and personal property. However, how these assets are distributed, and to whom they are given, depends in large part on the decedent. For instance, those […]

A properly executed will can ensure a testator’s estate is distributed according to his/her wishes upon death. However, as their estate grows, it is also not uncommon for testators to use more sophisticated estate planning tools, such as a Family Wealth Trust. While it is true these types of trusts can be used as a […]

One of the most important goals for many testators is to leave as much of their property to family members and loved ones as possible. Unfortunately, the taxes assessed against an heir or beneficiary’s inheritance, which are also known as estate taxes, after a testator passes away, can significantly reduce the size of the inheritance […]

There is no easy way to know for sure whether a will is at risk of being contested after a testator passes away. This is especially true in cases where a person drafts a will many decades in advance of his or her death and does not change it to account for alterations in relationships […]

Many people assume that estate planning is only for older adults, or for wealthy individuals who need to make intricate plans for trusts, estate and gift taxes, and business succession. However, it is also extremely important for young adults to think about estate planning and to speak with a Chicago estate planning attorney about creating […]

What Is A Letter Of Testamentary? Although those who have been named as an estate’s executor have a number of important duties, one of the most significant involves gathering the decedent’s assets and transferring them to the named beneficiaries through the probate process. However, these proceedings can only be initiated after an executor has obtained […]