WAEstate

Have you worked hard over the course of your lifetime to acquire the assets you now own? Do you save prudently and invest wisely to ensure that those assets are available for your retirement years and to pass down to loved ones when you are gone? If so, you also need make sure you are aware of the numerous ways in which those assets might be at risk. Moreover, you need to incorporate asset protection strategies into your estate plan to ensure that your assets are safe. To get you started, the Vernon Hills asset protection attorneys at Hedeker Law, [Read more…]

For many people, owning their own business is very much a part of the American dream. If you are one of those people, and you have achieved that dream, you undoubtedly worked hard to make your dream a reality. Do not make the mistake of seeing your hard work go down the proverbial drain at the end of your life because you failed to include your business in your estate plan. To help ensure that does not happen, the Vernon Hills business planning attorneys at Hedeker Law Ltd. discuss business succession strategies. Why Is Business Succession Planning Important? Getting a [Read more…]

Like most people, when you think about the concept of estate planning you probably think about executing a Last Will and Testament that provides for the distribution of your estate assets when you are gone. While creating a Will that distributes your assets is certainly part of the estate planning process, it is not the entire process for most people. Because a comprehensive estate plan is intended to achieve a wide range of interrelated goals and objectives, most people find the need to include additional tools and strategies in their plan. By far, one of the most popular additions to [Read more…]

You likely know what estate planning is and why it is so important to have an estate plan in place. Do you, however, know what legacy planning is? The idea behind the concept of legacy planning is to take estate planning to the next level. Legacy planning allows you to incorporate your ideals, beliefs, values, and faith into your estate planning endeavors.  Instead of simply leaving behind assets, legacy planning lets you leave behind much more of who you are and what made you the person you were during your lifetime.  To help you better understand the concept of legacy [Read more…]

You have undoubtedly been urged by well-meaning family and friends to take the time to get started on your estate plan. The first step in estate planning, for most people, is to execute a Last Will and Testament, which you have yet to do. Part of the reason you don’t have a Will is because you don’t really see the need for one. Like many people, you are under the impression that in the absence of a large and/or valuable estate, there is no real need for a Will. This is a common misconception in estate planning. The truth, however, [Read more…]

Owning a small business has long been part of the American dream. If you have realized that part of your American dream, it undoubtedly took a great deal of hard work and sacrifice to get your business off the ground.  Now you need to make sure your investment is protected. One way to do that is to include business succession planning in your comprehensive estate plan. If you are not familiar with the concept of business succession planning, there is no time like the present to learn. Toward that end, the Vernon Hills estate planning attorneys at Hedeker Law Ltd. [Read more…]

Your Last Will and Testament will likely serve as the cornerstone of your estate plan; however, if you create a more comprehensive plan, you will undoubtedly include additional estate planning tools and strategies. One of the most common of those estate planning tools is a trust agreement. Trusts have become increasingly popular in recent years due, in large part, to the flexible nature of the trust and the numerous estate planning goals that can be achieved using a trust. If you are contemplating the addition of a trust to your estate plan, be sure to avoid making a common mistake [Read more…]

In the United States, over half of all adults do not have an estate plan in place, despite understanding the importance of having a plan. When asked about why they have yet to create their estate plan, one of the most commonly given responses is that the entire concept is intimidating. This is understandable given the fact that most estate planning concepts and terms are not used outside of estate planning. In an effort to introduce you to some of those concepts and terms, the Lincolnshire estate planning lawyers at Hedeker Law, Ltd. put together the following five frequently asked [Read more…]

If you are married, you undoubtedly wish to protect, and provide for, your spouse in your estate plan. To do that, you also need to ensure that your estate assets are protected within your estate plan first. Specifically, you need to be aware of the impact federal gift and estate taxes could have on your estate if you fail to include tax avoidance strategies and tools in your comprehensive estate plan. Protecting and providing for your spouse within your estate plan becomes a bit more complicated when your spouse is a non-citizen. One tool people often use in this situation [Read more…]

If you are concerned about developing Alzheimer’s disease at some point in your life, you are not alone. Over the last several decades, Alzheimer’s disease has rapidly moved into the number six spot in the top 10 causes of death in the United States. What makes Alzheimer’s even scarier is the fact that we have yet to find a cure nor a way to prevent the disease from developing. While there is no foolproof way to know if you will develop the disease, there are some known risk factors. Read on to find out if you have any of those [Read more…]