A Power of Attorney is a document by which one person (the principal) can appoint another person (the agent) to act on the principal’s behalf in regard to financial and property matters (Property Power of Attorney) and health care and personal matters (Health Care power of Attorney). In other words, one person (the principal) can…
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For many people, going through a divorce seems like an endless tunnel with the light that seems like a long time coming. When the light does come, and the process is over, the last thing a person might want to do is to think about death. You are looking forward to a new life! Future…
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The estate planning that you do (or don’t do) will leave a lasting impression upon your loved ones. Will they love you for it? Planning your estate, the extent of your planning, and the thoughtfulness by which you plan your estate is an extension of who you are. It’s your last gift to the people…
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Most people today have an IRA, and sometimes more than one. IRA’s and 401(k)’s and other qualified plan assets have become more popular, taking the place of more traditional pension plans. Whether an employer makes any contributions, or not, people are increasingly aware of their own need to put money aside for retirement into pre-tax…
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According to The National Center for Education Statistics, about 35% of children ages 3-21 have some kind of learning disability. About 20% have a speech or language impairment. More significantly, about 9% of this population has autism, 6% have an intellectual disability, another 6% have developmental delay, 5% have some kind of emotional disturbance, and…
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Being a family caregiver under any circumstances is a difficult job. If you are a remote caregiver, you have even more challenges because you must make sure your loved one is happy and well without being able to check-in personally. If you are a long-distance caregiver of a senior loved one who is no longer…
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The benefits of doing a living trust and transferring your assets into the trust during life are many. A primary benefit is that your estate will circumvent the probate process when you pass, if you do things right, saving your loved ones many months of administrative burdens, delays, attorney’s fees and other costs. You also…
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The concept of a trust is difficult for many people to grasp because a trust is a concept, and therefore is intangible. Another intangible concept that is more familiar, and therefore seems easier to understand, is a corporation. Corporations have some similarities to trusts and, therefore, provide a helpful comparison. A quick look at the…
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After much anticipation and delay, Illinois families can finally utilize the ABLE Account Program. The ABLE Account Program (15 ILCS 505/16.6) allows individuals receiving SSI and other means-tested programs to open up a bank account (similar to a checking account) which does not count against the means-tested program’s resource limit. A means tested program is…
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An expansion from Do I Need a Will? I have done a series of articles explaining estate planning on a spectrum from simplest and cheapest to more complex and more expensive. Generally, that spectrum flows from planning how assets are owned so that they will pass on death with beneficiary designations, payable on death designations…
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