Wealth planning for
Northbrook families.

Yes. Northbrook 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 Northbrook clients in the Evanston office, at their home, or by video call.

Northbrook draws many retirees from corporate careers along the I-94 and I-294 corridors, employees of Allstate Insurance (headquartered in Northbrook), Kraft Heinz, and other large suburban employers who are retiring with significant 401(k) balances and, in some cases, pension benefits. We help Northbrook clients navigate the specific decisions these employers present: lump sum versus annuity pension elections, company stock in 401(k) plans, and the optimal timing of retirement relative to benefit vesting and healthcare continuation. 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 Northbrook cost of living.

Many Northbrook residents are retiring from careers along the I-94 corridor and want to age in place in their community. Our plans account for Northbrook-specific factors like Cook County property taxes and local cost of living. Northbrook's median home value of $480,000 and median household income of $115,000 mean planning here's shaped by local cost-of-living realities, not a national average. Roughly 35% of Northbrook 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 Northbrook 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 doesn't tax retirement income, which provides meaningful relief for Northbrook retirees drawing from Allstate or other corporate 401(k)s and pensions. Our tax strategy work in Northbrook focuses on the interaction between pension income, Social Security, and investment withdrawals, specifically, executing Roth conversions in the years between retirement and Social Security claiming when income is typically at its lowest.