by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Oct 1, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, News, Wills & Trusts
The federal estate tax exemption jumped to $15 million per person in 2026. Illinois did not follow. The state still taxes estates over $4 million, and that number has not moved in more than a decade. That single fact catches more southwest suburban families every...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Sep 24, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, News, Wills & Trusts
A complete Illinois estate plan in 2026 is built from four working parts: a Revocable Living Trust, a Pour-Over Will, a Durable Power of Attorney for Property, and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. Together they decide who controls your money and your care...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Sep 17, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Healthcare Decisions, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Mental Health, News, Wills & Trusts
A single stretch of long-term care can consume in a year what took decades to build. That is the quiet financial risk sitting inside most family plans, and it is one of the few that a Will and a Trust alone do not fully address. Medicaid planning is how families...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Sep 10, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Life Insurance, Living Trusts, Mental Health, News, Wills & Trusts
erson in 2026 and was made permanent under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (per the Internal Revenue Service). Most families will never owe a dollar of federal estate tax. That is the number people hear, and it is the number that creates a false sense of safety....
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Sep 3, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Mental Health, News, Wills & Trusts
You bought life insurance to take care of the people you love. Whether that money reaches them the way you intended depends on something most policyholders never stop to check: how the policy fits inside your Estate Plan. September is National Life Insurance Awareness...
by Eileen Kerlin Walsh | Sep 1, 2026 | Blog, Common Questions, Education, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Inheritance Planning, Kerlin Walsh Law, Living Trusts, Mental Health, News, Wills & Trusts
KEY TAKEAWAYS A simple will may not be enough when leaving assets to minor children. Your child’s guardian does not automatically control their inheritance. Court oversight can reduce the inheritance you intended for your child. A trust gives you greater control over...
