Estate Planning

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What is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is creating a comprehensive strategy for the management, distribution and protection of financial interests, assets and wealth after a client passes away. It’s the blueprint for legacy planning: ensuring your wishes for wealth transfer for your loved ones is carried forward according to your specific preferences.

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Strategies & Document Preparation

We offer personalized strategies and preparation of important documents that are critical to a comprehensive estate plan, including:

Revocable Trusts & Wills
  • Marital planning
  • Planning for unmarried people
  • Planning for children and descendants
  • GST planning
  • Charitable Bequests
  • Second marriage planning
  • Bequests to spouse in trust or not in trust
  • Bequests to children in trust or not in trust
  • Bequests to non-family members in trust or not in trust
  • Estate and gift tax planning for clients with taxable estates and non-citizen spouse(s)
  • Illinois estate tax planning for non-Illinois residents with Illinois real estate or tangible personal property
Irrevocable Trusts, including:
  • Grantor trusts
  • Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILIT's)
  • Grandchildren Trusts
  • GST trusts
  • Gift trusts
  • Power of Attorney for property
  • Power of Attorney for health
  • Living Wills
  • Appointment of Agent for Disposition of Remains forms
  • Charitable gift agreements
  • Federal Gift Tax Returns (Form 709)

Answer all your Estate Planning questions here in our extensive Estate Planning FAQs.

Achieving Your Goals is Our Mission

We create strategies to provide for your loved ones and achieve your charitable or other goals, minimize estate and gift taxes and streamline the administration of your affairs upon your passing.

We help you secure your long-term wealth by identifying straightforward and tax efficient estate planning strategies to efficiently pass wealth to your loved ones and fulfill your charitable or other goals. We can also help with gifting, titling of assets and trust funding.

Our clients are highly satisfied with the estate plans we create and are more effectively able to provide for their loved ones and achieve their charitable goals, preserve family harmony, minimize tax consequences, and simplify estate administration.

 

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Common Estate Planning Questions

How are wills & trusts different?

A will allows you upon your death to dispose of your assets not in a trust and without either a… show more.

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Why do I need a will if I have a beneficiary designated with survivorship rights?

There are too many potential changes in circumstances for a client to confidently rely upon beneficiary designations and survivorship rights… show more.

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What is the Illinois Estate Tax Exemption Amount?

The Illinois estate tax exemption amount is $4,000,000. Unlike the Federal estate tax exemption amount, a surviving spouse cannot use… show more.

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Do I need an attorney for Estate Planning and Trust & Estate Administration?

We recommend you engage an attorney, experienced with preparing estate plans, to assist you with preparing your estate plan. Experienced… show more.

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When is the Right Time for Estate Planning?

Estate planning is important in these situations:
  • Marriage
  • Birth or adoption of a child
  • Establishing a residence in a new state. Illinois has a state estate tax that is separate and apart from the Federal estate tax. Illinois is not a community property law state.
  • Inheritance
  • Increased wealth
  • Growing older
  • Death of a loved one
  • Remarriage
  • Divorce
  • Changes in tax law
At these times, we will work closely with you on:
  • Titling of assets
  • Beneficiary designations for tax deferred retirement accounts
  • Marital estate tax exemptions
  • Gifting
  • Preparing gift tax returns when making taxable gifts
  • Allocating GST tax exemptions
  • Charitable giving

Ready to speak with us?

You man send us an email at information@okeefelawoffice.com, give us a call, or submit an inquiry using our site form.

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