Blog Articles
Info About Wills, Trusts, and More…
Hello and welcome! I am Eileen Kerlin Walsh, and I will bring you valuable and topical information on Estate Planning. Estate Planning is the legal process of protecting your assets and your loved ones in the event of disability or death.
Why do you need an estate plan? If you don’t have a valid Will or Trust, Illinois law determines how your assets pass, to whom and when. Having no estate plan can lead to unnecessary taxes, creditors, probate court and other undesirable results. This is the most costly way to pass assets to your loved ones. You can do much better and my column will show you how!
Are You Saving Enough for Retirement?
Retirement is supposed to be a carefree period of enjoyment and fulfillment. However, retirement has become a daunting prospect for many Americans, full of anxiety and financial uncertainty. Longer lives and rising costs make the idea of retiring in one’s 60s...
Want to Disinherit Someone? This Is What You Need to Know
Disinheritance—the intentional exclusion of a family member, usually a child or spouse, from receiving part of your estate after your death—is more common than you might think. It is also easier than you might think to disinherit a loved one, with a couple of notable...
How to Minimize the (Voluntary) Federal Estate Tax with Portability
Most people may be surprised to learn that the federal estate tax is considered by some to be voluntary. Estate planning attorneys used to say, “You only pay if you do not plan.” The relatively recent introduction of portability provides yet another planning tool...
Do You Go By Different Names? Ensure That Your Estate Planning Attorney Knows
What is in a name? If you are a beneficiary or a creditor of an estate, or if you are setting up an estate plan, your name means a great deal. It is not unusual for a person to go by different names, such as the name we are given at birth and the names we choose for...
How an Inheritance Can Enhance Your Loved One’s Educational Experience
A primary goal of estate planning is to financially provide for your loved ones. One way to ensure that they are set up for lifelong success is with an inheritance that pays for their education. Higher levels of education are positively correlated with better life...
Assisting Your Client: Which Trust Is Right For Your Client?
Evidence suggests that many people are establishing trusts as part of an estate plan. Some motivations for creating a trust include avoiding probate, preserving privacy, planning for incapacity, protecting a beneficiary’s inheritance from creditors, minimizing estate...
Assisting Your Client: Show your clients a richer planning approach
Discussions about money are never just about the exact dollar amounts listed on paper. They are inherently emotional because a person’s wealth is tied to everything they have worked for and hope to pass on as their legacy. Clients can incorporate their values, life...
Assisting Your Clients: Things to Consider When Using Beneficiary or Transfer-on-Death Designations
Advisors often focus on big-picture and long-term planning. However, the devil is in the details, and even seemingly straightforward aspects of a plan—such as beneficiary designations—can have profound implications for our clients’ financial objectives and legacy...
Assisting Your Clients: Planning for Conflict Prone Families
Unfortunately, the battle over family wealth is as timeless as family itself. Regardless of how prepared your clients might be, there is no predicting how otherwise rational people will behave after the loss of a family member. A will or trust contest can cause...
Assisting Your Client: Helping Clients Pass on Their Wealth
Is Outright Distribution the Right Choice for Your Clients? An inheritance can be life-changing. Many younger Americans, stuck in a cycle of debt and rising costs, are anticipating their cut of the $84 trillion “Great Wealth Transfer”—a term financial experts use to...