Preservation | Family Wealth Protection & Planning

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions? In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year. Too bad, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions? In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year. Too bad, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions?  In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year.  Too bad for you, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

While the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has certainly brought a sudden dramatic change to our daily lives, there is still a continuous need for legal work. Many legal documents require notarization, and even in some cases witnesses, to take effect. With the various levels of governments now requiring “social distancing” and instituting shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, the normal rules that require a signer to be in the “presence” of a notary or witness have been put into question.

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions? In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year. Too bad for you, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

On July 12, 2019, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill HB1471, which enacts the Illinois Trust Code (ITC) and repeals many of Illinois’ current trust statutes. The ITC was effective as of Jan. 1, 2020. Below is a brief overview.

Illinois Trust Code and Uniform Trust Code

The ITC generally conforms with the Uniform Trust Code (UTC), a comprehensive codification of the common law on trusts, as drafted, published and recommended by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. The UTC is designed as a template to establish uniform trust laws among states, including, but not limited to, the creation, validity and modification of trusts, rights of certain parties with respect to beneficial interests and creditors, trust administration, trusteeship and trustee powers.

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions? In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all of the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year. Too bad for you, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

How many times have you prepared your income tax returns for the previous year, only wishing you knew then what you know now, so you could go back and make more advantageous tax decisions? In most cases, you are stuck with the decisions you made before the new tax year began, even though you may not have all of the relevant tax information available to assist with those decisions until several months into the new tax year. Too bad for you, says the IRS, unless you are an estate or trust.

One of the many memorable scenes from the movie classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” takes place when Ferris and his friends drop off a Ferrari in a downtown Chicago parking garage. In the scene, Cameron doesn’t trust the car’s safety with the parking attendant, who says to them somewhat indignantly, “Relax … you fellas have nothing to worry about. I’m a professional.” The screen then cuts to the parking attendant and his buddy zooming off in the Ferrari as Ferris and the group go on their way.

In many cases, determining the beneficiaries of your estate plan is simple. If your spouse survives you, your assets go to your spouse. If your spouse doesn’t survive you, your assets are split equally among your children. But choosing who will ultimately receive your assets and in what proportions is only part of the process. Another part of it is deciding how the beneficiaries receive those assets.