Estate Planning
in Lake Forest, IL.
Make sure the people you love get what you've built.
Estate planning isn't just for the wealthy, it's for anyone who wants to make sure their family is taken care of. Without a plan, Illinois probate courts decide who gets your assets, who takes care of your children, and how your life's work is distributed.
At our firm, we work with families across Chicago's Northern Suburbs to create estate plans that protect your legacy, minimize taxes, avoid probate, and ensure your wishes are honored.
What this looks like in Lake Forest.
Estate planning isn't optional in Lake Forest, it's a financial imperative. With the Illinois estate tax exemption at $4 million per person and no portability, many Lake Forest families face six-figure estate tax bills without proper bypass trust planning. We work alongside Lake Forest estate attorneys on the full spectrum of strategies: bypass trusts, SLATs, dynasty trusts, annual gifting programs, and charitable vehicles that reflect the philanthropic values deeply embedded in this community.
The county details.
Lake County's concentration of high-net-worth families, particularly in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Barrington, and Bannockburn, makes Illinois estate tax planning a first-order priority. Illinois's $4 million exemption isn't portable between spouses without specific trust planning: without an AB trust or disclaimer trust, the first spouse's exemption may be wasted and the surviving spouse's estate pays Illinois estate tax on everything above $4 million. For Lake County families with a primary residence worth $1.5 million or more plus investment assets and retirement accounts, the potential Illinois estate tax exposure is real and plannable, but only with proper structure in place before the first death.
Why Lake Forest.
Lake Forest families often have complex financial situations involving business ownership, stock options, multiple properties, and multi-generational wealth transfer. Our estate planning and tax strategy expertise is especially relevant here.
Things Lake Forest families ask.
Down the shore.
Talk to a Lake Forest
advisor.
One free conversation about estate planning, at your kitchen table, our Evanston office, or a video call.