Many adults in Illinois do not have a comprehensive estate plan but only a will. There are also countless adults across the state that do not have any estate planning documents in place at all. It is very easy for people to convince themselves that they don't need a...
Estate Planning & Probate
What is an advance directive?
When making an estate plan, one type of document that you can use is known as an advance directive. Not all estate plans have these documents, but they help you go beyond what you can do with a standard will. That being said, there are different types of advance...
Why doesn’t everyone have an estate plan?
You may believe that most people have already gotten around to estate planning. If you haven't done so, maybe you have the perception that you're falling behind. But the truth is that, even though they should, most people have not done any estate planning. This can be...
3 practical tips to plan for digital assets in your estate
In the digital age, people accumulate significant assets online, such as social media accounts, email accounts, digital files, and cryptocurrency. However, what happens to these digital assets after you pass away? It is essential to plan for managing and transferring...
3 things to include in your estate plan
As you may already know, an estate plan mostly focuses on allocating your assets to family, friends and loved ones after you die. While it may be a simple matter to name heirs and their inheritance, there’s often a lot more involved when making an estate plan. To...
What should you consider as you choose your executor?
Choosing the right person to be the executor of your estate plan is crucial to help ensure that your wishes are carried out as you’ve designated and that your estate is settled with a minimum of problems, conflict and delays. The executor does a lot more than...
The benefits of digital estate planning
One of the primary reasons why it is so important to have a current estate plan in place at all times is that few people are eager to burden their loved ones with stressful estate management tasks in the wake of their death. Ideally, you probably want to make the task...
Considerations for your will when you have a special needs child
Leaving behind your assets in a will can get complicated -- especially if you’re passing along an inheritance to multiple children. There is always the concern that the division of assets is fair or that your last wishes are communicated clearly. Things can get...
What are the most common errors made when creating a will?
Do you envision sitting at your kitchen table, writing down your will and calling it done? Most individuals assume this is how wills are created, but you risk much if you take such a casual approach to estate planning. For your final will to accomplish what you want,...
3 legal strategies to avoid probate
If you pass on without a will or have a very basic one, your estate will go through probate. This is a process of distributing your estate to your heirs. The probate process is almost always expensive, long, and stressful. Fortunately, you can take a few simple steps...
