Wealth planning for
Glencoe families.

Yes. Glencoe is one of roughly thirty Cook County and Lake County communities we serve from its Evanston office at 909 Davis Street. The firm has been planning retirements for Cook County families since 1977, and meets Glencoe clients in the Evanston office, at their home, or by video call.

Glencoe's small-village character, a concentrated community of affluent families with deep roots in the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Glencoe Golf Club, and the local arts scene, creates a retirement planning context where legacy and lifestyle are as important as income replacement. We help Glencoe clients design retirement income structures that sustain the philanthropic commitments and community involvement that define retirement here, not just the fixed monthly expenses. we coordinate Social Security claiming, retirement account withdrawals, annuity and life insurance placements, long-term care funding, and estate decisions into one written plan tailored to the Glencoe cost of living.

Glencoe residents often have sophisticated financial needs, including concentrated stock positions, charitable giving strategies, and multi-generational estate planning. Our independent, family-led approach is built around recommendations that fit your family's plan, not a product menu handed down by a brokerage. Glencoe's median home value of $850,000 and median household income of $200,000 mean planning here's shaped by local cost-of-living realities, not a national average. Roughly 33% of Glencoe residents are over 55, and many have spent decades building equity that now needs to be coordinated with retirement income, healthcare, and estate decisions.

Cook County's property tax rates, averaging 1.8-2.3% of assessed value, among the highest in the nation, are the single largest variable in most North Shore retirement budgets. A home assessed at $900,000 in Northbrook, Glenview, or Wilmette can carry an annual tax obligation of $16,000-$22,000 that persists through retirement unless the home is sold or downsized. Illinois partially offsets this with one of the most retirement-friendly income tax structures in the country: Social Security, IRA distributions, and pension income are entirely exempt from state income tax, leaving the property tax burden as the primary financial challenge to plan around. For Glencoe retirees specifically, this means treating property taxes as a non-negotiable fixed expense and building a guaranteed income floor, typically from Social Security and, where appropriate, an annuity, that covers them regardless of market conditions.

Illinois's lack of a gift tax creates exceptional planning opportunities for Glencoe clients whose estates substantially exceed the $4 million Illinois exemption. Systematic annual gifting to multiple family members, funding 529 plans for grandchildren, and strategic contributions to donor-advised funds all reduce the taxable estate while reflecting the values of a community with strong philanthropic culture. We implement these strategies as part of a coordinated multi-year plan.