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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Today marks the beginning of National Pro Bono Week for 2014. “Pro bono publico” means for the public good and is usually shortened to “pro bono” (Wikipedia), which is often interpreted to mean “for free”. The term, “pro bono” has specific application to attorneys, and for good reason. While many people volunteer their time for…
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Most people have charitable thoughts, but few people set up their own foundations or funds to put feet on those charitable thoughts. Many people see a need that is not being met and want to do something about it, but the process of setting up a private foundation is daunting. If you are one of…
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Dr. Bernard J. Cigrand, a long time resident of the City of Batavia, set up a scholarship endowment fund with the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, but he is best known for bring the impetus behind National Flag Day. Watch the story here…. The Dr. Bernard Cigrand Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund was established…
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