I have been doing estate planning for nearly 20 years, and I am surprised at the relatively small number of my clients who have incorporated charitable giving into their estate planning. Many of those same people have been charitable during their lives, giving to various organizations and their places of worship, but people do not…
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If you have substantial medical debt, but know that you will incur additional medical expenses (or other debts) soon, it may make sense to postpone filing for bankruptcy. The reason is that a bankruptcy case will only discharge those debts incurred as of the date the case was filed. By postponing the filing until after…
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We are more than pleased to announce that Mark Brent has been chosen for membership in the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. The recognition of Mark Brent for his dedicated service is an honor of the highest magnitude and follows from a professional life devoted to the advocacy of people often at the most vulnerable positions in…
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THE EXECUTOR I had a friend who died and he, On earth so loved and trusted me, That ere he quit this earthly shore, He made me his executor. He tasked me through my natural life, To guard the interests of his wife, To see that everything was done, Both for his daughter and his…
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In my high school psychology class, my history teacher came and spoke to us one day about his disabled son. He read to us a short story in which he compared having a disabled child to a trip to Europe. The story began with a couple planning to go to Italy to tour all of…
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“These times, they are a changin’” is the famous line by Bob Dylan. It was an anthem for the 1960’s and early 1970’s. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, as some say. The number of people who have never been married has steadily grown since 1970. (Pew Research) People are…
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Employers need to beware of the new requirement of the Illinois Employee Classification Act to file a report to the State Department of Labor for every independent contractor that is not incorporated or organized as an LLC. By January 31, 2015, contractors and subcontractors in the construction industry must file a report to the State…
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I have represented local governmental bodies my entire legal career, including municipalities, school districts, fire protection districts, sanitary sewer districts and others. As a more or less objective observer, one who is neither sitting in the hot seat nor part of the angry mob, I seen what works and what does not work. The statement, “No…
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You have probably heard the stories about what happens when a family member dies without doing any estate planning… and if you have not heard them, I could fill a book! The vacuum left by the death of a loved one sometimes leads to some strange and unfortunate reactions. Perceived slights or unfairness during life are magnified…
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The sign is a clue to what a recent article in the Trusts & Estate section of WealthManagement.com identifies as a trend away from estate planning and, therefore, toward more probating of estates. (The Shift from Estate Planning to Estate Probating) In other words, the author believes the national trend indicates a penchant for putting off doing estate planning. The…
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