Most families who are thinking about Medicaid aren’t doing it because everything is going well. Usually, a serious event or catastrophe has already happened. Dad fell; Mom’s dementia has gotten worse. A parent who was living independently suddenly needs help taking a bath. A child, sibling, or caregiver brings up the option of assisted living or a nursing home, and then the family sees what long-term care actually costs.
According to CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the median cost of a private nursing-home room in Illinois was $9,000 per month. This is a shocking number for most families.
Continue Reading Common Medicaid-Planning Mistakes Families Make

What happens to the family home after one or both parents passes away is a tough question that most people prefer not to think about. Unfortunately, not planning for this eventuality can cause more problems than people expect. 
If a home is still titled in your individual name when you die, it may have to go through probate before it can be transferred to your heirs. With the right estate planning, however, there may be ways to avoid probate and make sure your house is kept safely in the family. 
If you are creating or updating an estate plan…
Continue Reading How Can We Keep Our Family Home Out of Probate?

Talking with your parents about aging can feel uncomfortable. No one wants a family dinner to turn into a discussion about illness or death and it can be very difficult to know when to bring up these conversations. 
Unfortunately, addressing important questions is often much harder after an emergency. If a parent is suddenly hospitalized, adult children may discover that they have no idea who is supposed to make decisions or where important documents are kept.
In 2026, talking with your parents before they need help gives everyone more confidence about what should happen later. A Yorkville estate planning attorney…
Continue Reading Aging Parents: Five Conversations That Can Save Your Family Stress Later

Owning a home changes your life in important ways. Along with that should come changes to your estate plan. For many families, the house is one of their largest assets; its emotional worth is often also very great.
Unfortunately, buying a home does not automatically mean it will pass smoothly to the people you love. Estate plans need to be updated as your property ownership and family structure change.
If you own a home in 2026, a Yorkville, IL estate planning and wealth preservation attorney can help you make sure your estate plan is written to unmistakably reflect your wishes.
Continue Reading The Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes Homeowners Make

A family home is often one of the most valuable things a parent leaves behind. It can also be one of the most emotionally difficult assets to deal with. One child may want to keep the house, while another may need their share of the inheritance in cash. There may still be a mortgage, and someone has to keep paying the insurance while the estate is being settled.
What happens to the home in the days and weeks after a parent dies depends largely on how the home was owned and what estate planning your parent did before death. If…
Continue Reading What Happens to the Family Home When a Parent Passes Away?

Buying a home is a major financial and personal milestone. After closing, most new owners focus on moving in, getting settled, and starting on their mortgage payments. Estate planning may not be near the top of the list.
However, buying real estate changes what you own, and therefore what your family may inherit. Along with that comes the question of what someone would need to manage if you become seriously ill. This makes it important that the home’s deed, mortgage, and insurance all work together with the homeowner’s living trust, will, and beneficiary designations.
If you purchased a…
Continue Reading Buying a Home Is Just the Beginning: Don’t Forget to Protect It

Your parents may have spent decades paying for their home and building equity. However, owning a valuable home does not necessarily mean they have a plan for what will happen to the house if they become ill or die.
Many adult children do not ask about estate planning because the conversation feels uncomfortable. Others assume their parents already handled everything. Unfortunately, families often discover missing documents, outdated instructions, or ownership problems only after an emergency or loss.
If your parents own a home, discussing their wishes now can help protect the property later. A Kendall County estate planning attorney…
Continue Reading Your Parents Own a Home… But Do They Have a Plan?

Family harmony after you die depends less on how much you leave behind than on how clearly you explain your plans. Clear estate-planning documents and thoughtful communication can reduce the risk of family conflict after your death. Unequal inheritances, outdated documents, and unclear instructions often lead to disputes between siblings, stepchildren, and surviving spouses.
A Yorkville, IL estate planning attorney can walk you through the tools available in 2026 to build an estate plan that limits confusion and lowers the odds that grief turns into a legal battle.
How Can Illinois Families Avoid Fighting Over an Inheritance?
Many estate disputes…
Continue Reading How to Protect Family Harmony After You Are Gone

A family member or another interested person can ask a probate court to invalidate part or all of your will or trust after you die. This is called contesting the estate plan, and Illinois law limits who can do it, on what grounds, and how quickly they must act. Clear, up-to-date inheritance and beneficiary planning in 2026 is one of the best ways to reduce the odds that your plan gets challenged. A Kendall County, IL estate planning attorney can review your plan and explain where it may be vulnerable.
What Does It Mean to Contest a Will or Estate…
Continue Reading What Happens When Someone Contests Your Estate Plan in Illinois?

A family business you built doesn’t just go to your kids because that’s what you want. Once you remarry, Illinois law, your estate plan, and your company’s documents can determine who receives your ownership interest when you die. This is a common issue in 2026 for blended families, where children from a first marriage, a new spouse, and years of work are all tied to the same business.
A Yorkville, IL business estate planning attorney can review your ownership documents and help close gaps that put a family business at risk.
Does Remarriage Turn a Family Business Into Marital Property…
Continue Reading What Happens to Your Family Business When You Remarry in Illinois?

A spoken promise from a spouse does not guarantee your children an inheritance. Under Illinois law, verbal promises alone are generally not legally binding. If your spouse dies without a valid estate plan, Illinois law—not the promise—generally determines who inherits. This is especially important for stepchildren, who have no automatic inheritance rights unless they are named in a valid estate planning document. If you are blending a family in 2026, a Kendall County, IL estate planning attorney can turn a verbal commitment into a legally enforceable estate plan.
What Does Illinois Law Say About Stepchildren and Inheritance?
According to…
Continue Reading Is a Spouse's Promise to Provide for My Children Legally Enforceable in Illinois?

Family heirlooms often cause deeper conflict than money does. When two or more family members feel a personal connection to the same object, the fight is rarely about what the item is worth. It is about who felt closest to the person who owned it, and careful estate planning can keep that tension from ending up in court.
If you are updating your estate plan in 2026, a Yorkville, IL inheritance and beneficiary protection attorney can help you decide how to handle sentimental property.
Family Members Fight Over Personal Belongings More Than Money
Ameriprise Financial found that when siblings argue…
Continue Reading Can Family Heirlooms Cause More Conflict Than Money?

What makes someone the right trustee for a blended family? The best choice is a person who can treat your spouse and your children fairly, even when their interests do not fully align.
According to a 2026 Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, 17 percent of U.S. children lived in a blended family in 2023. Many of those families will eventually need to make estate planning decisions, including choosing a trustee. In 2026, naming the wrong trustee can lead to years of court fights between a stepparent and stepchildren.
A Kendall County, IL estate planning attorney with experience…
Continue Reading How to Choose the Right Trustee in a Blended Family?