Tag: Naperville estate planning attorneys
Estate Planning Essentials for Blended Families in Illinois
Posted on September 12, 2025
Blended families are becoming increasingly common in Illinois. Many people remarry after divorce or widowhood, bringing children from prior relationships into a new marriage. For high net worth families, this dynamic adds both opportunity and complexity when it comes to estate planning. Without a careful strategy, the goals of protecting a new spouse, making sure children from all relationships are treated fairly, and protecting wealth across generations can come into conflict. At Gierach Law Firm, our Naperville, IL estate planning attorney has decades of experience guiding high net worth families […]
Irrevocable Trusts vs. Revocable Trusts: How Do I Choose the Best Option?
Posted on August 26, 2025
Families throughout DuPage County who are thinking seriously about preserving their wealth often find themselves faced with a major decision: should they create a revocable trust, an irrevocable trust, or some combination of the two? Your choice will affect how much control you have over your assets, how those assets pass to your children or other beneficiaries, and whether you will face unnecessary taxation or creditor claims in the future. The Illinois Trust Code (760 ILCS 3), which governs trusts throughout the state, allows both revocable and irrevocable trusts. Each […]
Plenary vs. Limited Guardianship in Illinois: How Do You Decide?
Posted on July 29, 2025
When someone you love cannot manage their personal or financial affairs, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to help them. Families in Illinois often turn to guardianship as a solution, but many are unsure whether a plenary or limited guardianship is the right choice. Understanding the differences between these options and how courts approach these cases is crucial. If you are considering guardianship, talk first to our Naperville, IL guardianship and estate planning attorney, Denice Gierach. Attorney Gierach has been practicing for more than 30 years and […]
What Is Undue Influence in Illinois Will Contests?
Posted on July 15, 2025
Challenging the validity of a will often involves allegations that someone manipulated the testator into changing their estate plan. In Illinois, undue influence is one of the most frequently cited grounds in will contests. Courts take these claims seriously because they call into question whether the testator’s final wishes were truly their own. Understanding how undue influence works under Illinois law, what evidence courts consider, and how to file or defend against such a claim is critical if you are involved in a probate dispute. If you are defending yourself […]
When Do You Have Grounds to Contest a Will in Illinois?
Posted on May 31, 2025
As most people know, a last will and testament is a legal document that outlines a person’s wishes concerning the disposition of their assets and the care of dependents after their passing. If properly executed, it can be a powerful way to ensure that their family is taken care of after their death. One significant drawback of wills for the testator — the person who makes the will — is that it must go through a court process called probate, where the will is officially proved. In probate, certain interested […]
How Can an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) Protect Your Family’s Assets?
Posted on May 12, 2025
When you are crafting your estate plan, there are multiple tools that you can use to maximize your family’s wealth. One of those is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT). Life insurance can be a powerful estate planning tool, and the ILIT offers many advantages that harness this power, including estate tax reductions, asset protection, and plenty of control over how your life insurance proceeds are distributed to beneficiaries. However, as with most factors in estate planning, it is important to be aware of how best to utilize this tool […]
8 Tips for Establishing a Foreign Trust
Posted on April 30, 2025
A trust is a key tool in the world of estate planning. Particularly for high-net-worth and global families, an attractive option to consider when planning how to handle family wealth is a foreign trust. And for good reason: trusts offer unparalleled flexibility and asset protection. They can be used as a way to diversify assets, ensure wealth is passed down thoughtfully and strategically, and guard against political and economic issues that may threaten assets. Foreign trusts can help protect and preserve a family’s wealth, and serve the needs of family […]
Integrating Family Governance Into High Net Worth Estate Planning
Posted on April 20, 2025
Large, multi-generational families often rely on traditional estate planning to meet their needs. For wealthy families, the most comprehensive estate planning strategies may be insufficient to truly ensure that the family’s wealth and success are protected through the generations. This is where family governance comes in, helping not only to preserve family wealth but also to cement a family legacy that is true to the family’s values. Family governance strengthens communication among family members, reducing disputes and making decision-making easier. An experienced Naperville, IL estate planning attorney can advise your […]
How Can You Benefit from a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust? | IL
Posted on September 6, 2024
Those who want to secure their financial future and legacy might consider a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust, abbreviated as a GRAT. This type of trust allows those with a certain level of assets to pass those assets on to their beneficiaries while significantly minimizing estate tax liabilities. A GRAT is an irrevocable trust, meaning once it is put into place, it cannot be altered or dissolved. Because of this, it is essential that you speak to an experienced Naperville, IL, estate planning attorney from Gierach Law Firm, who can help […]
What is a Laughing Heir – And Can It Be Avoided in Illinois?
Posted on August 26, 2024
Have you ever fantasized about receiving a notification stating that your great, great, great-uncle Henry has died, leaving you his entire huge estate? At one time or another, most of us have had this happy daydream. While it is extremely rare in most states for this to occur, there is a name given to those who unexpectedly inherit in this manner. A “laughing heir” is the heir of an estate who is so remotely related to the decedent that he or she feels no grief over the decedent’s death. The […]
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