Have you ever heard the phrase, “stupid tax”? I hate paying a stupid tax, because it’s always something that could have been avoided. A few years ago my wife and I went with my parents to see an Illini basketball game in Champaign. After eating at...
If you’ve ever been robbed like I have, you know that awful feeling of violation and loss of control. More than the material things that are stolen, the loss of peace of mind and sense of security can have lasting effects. When I had just started practicing law,...
The secret to avoiding disaster in the Magic Kingdom — plan ahead. So much of parenting is about planning and anticipating problems BEFORE they happen. And trips to Disney World are no exception. We know from experience that our kids get worn out if the days are...
Every estate plan needs a good helper(s). Choosing those helpers can be tough. Your trustee, guardian, power of attorney, or executor will be responsible for making decisions when you become disabled (like from a stroke or dementia) or pass away. But what exactly are...
The Brock’s were just an average young family in the 1980’s. The father, Robert, had been to Vietnam and back a decade earlier. The mother, Margaret, stayed at home with their two young boys, James and Steven. The family lived in a modest ranch house in...
When you think of Valentine’s Day, you probably don’t think about estate planning, but we do! We see the depth of our clients’ love for their families everyday as they put an effective plan together — a plan from which they may never see the...
