by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Aug 19, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, Mental Health, News, Power of Attorney, Wellness, Wills & Trusts
KEY TAKEAWAYS Good intentions don’t equal legal authority. Unclear family roles can create costly delays. Informal family agreements may fall apart under pressure. The person who naturally takes charge still needs proper authority. Formal estate planning replaces...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Aug 11, 2026 | Blog, Client Relationships, Entrepreneurs, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Power of Attorney, Probate, Real Estate, Wills & Trusts, Women and Estate Planning
Most business owners in the southwest suburbs have a plan for growing their company. Far fewer have a plan for what happens to it without them. That hole is not about being unprepared in general. It comes from treating personal planning and business planning as two...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Aug 10, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, News, Wellness, Wills & Trusts
KEY TAKEAWAYS Early memory problems don’t necessarily mean it’s too late to make legal decisions. A diagnosis doesn’t determine legal capacity—understanding does. There may be a limited window to put important legal documents in place. Powers of Attorney and other key...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Aug 10, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, News, Power of Attorney, Wellness, Wills & Trusts
KEY TAKEAWAYS Once legal capacity is lost, many traditional Estate Planning options may no longer be available. Even close family members or a spouse may not have the legal authority to step in. Without the right documents, accessing finances, medical information, and...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Aug 4, 2026 | Blog, Client Relationships, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Power of Attorney, Probate, Real Estate, Wills & Trusts, Women and Estate Planning
In Illinois, everyone already has an estate plan, whether they wrote one or not. If you die without a Will, the state of Illinois has one waiting for you, and it was not written with your family in mind. That plan is called intestate succession, and it follows a fixed...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Jul 23, 2026 | Blog, Client Relationships, Estate Planning, Healthcare Decisions, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Power of Attorney, Probate, Real Estate, Wills & Trusts, Women and Estate Planning
A standard Estate Plan does its job well up to a point. Will, Trust, Powers of Attorney, beneficiary designations in order. For many families, that structure holds. For families whose wealth has grown significantly, that structure is often the floor, not the ceiling....
