Abraham Lincoln, Springfield’s most famous resident, left behind more than just a political legacy. His approach to personal matters, including estate planning, offers valuable lessons for modern residents. While Lincoln’s brilliance as a leader is well-known, his...
How do you know your marriage is really over? This is the question that can keep a lot of people in unhappy marriages up at night – and stuck in place. Dr. John Gottman, a renowned relationship expert and psychologist, has identified four indicators that a...
A trustee is tasked with ensuring that a trust is properly managed. They’re responsible for tracking income and expenses, and they must distribute trust assets to identified beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of the trust’s documentations. These are heavy...
Estate planning can be a great way to keep your legacy intact and provide for your loved ones after you're gone. But life sometimes throws curveballs that complicate even the most carefully laid plans. Things can go awry if a beneficiary you named in your estate...
End-of-life planning isn't just for older adults or those facing health crises. It's a valuable process for any adult who wants to maintain autonomy and protect their loved ones from unnecessary burdens. Understanding its importance is a good first step towards...
Your standard of living is going to change after a divorce. Lifestyle changes often accompany this. Money doesn’t seem to go as far, for many people. It could be because you are used to living on two incomes, but now you are just living on one. Gender is important...
Estate planning is essential for everyone, but for same-sex couples in Illinois, it involves unique considerations that require careful attention. Although same-sex marriage was legalized in Illinois in 2014, these couples might face specific challenges that are not...
If your spouse files for divorce, you should be served a divorce petition. There are a few ways that they can do this, such as serving you through publication, hiring someone to serve you or simply serving you the papers themselves. After they do so, the paperwork...
As you consider your estate planning options, you might find that certain types of trusts don’t have the flexibility that you want for your beneficiaries. Another type, known as a discretionary trust, could give you the ability to modify asset distribution over time,...
Payable-on-death accounts, such as annuities, life insurance and federal FERS accounts, are designed to transfer assets directly to a named beneficiary upon the account holder’s death, bypassing probate. They are essential to many people’s estate plans because they...
