Most families with significant wealth come to an estate planning attorney saying the same thing: “We just need a simple will.” This makes sense on the surface because you know who you want to receive your assets, and you want a document that makes that happen. How complicated could it be?
The honest answer is that for families with meaningful wealth — $2 million, $3 million, $5 million or more — a simple will is rarely sufficient. This isn’t because the will itself is flawed, but rather because it can’t, by itself, address everything a family needs. In 2026, Illinois families with substantial estates face a set of predictable but manageable risks that a basic will simply was not designed to handle.
If you are ready to find out whether your current plan actually protects what you have built, contact our Yorkville estate planning attorney at Gateville Law Firm to schedule a Family Wealth Preservation Meeting.