Category Archives: Newsletters
How Can An Estate Planning Attorney Help With Collectibles?
Collectors can spend a lifetime amassing things like comic books, baseball cards, and artwork. However, collectors often don’t pay enough attention as to what will happen to their possessions when they die. They may hope their children will find a passion for their stuff, or they may figure another collector will pay their heirs… Read More »
How Companies Are Using Social Media to Fire Employees
Social media has changed the world, connecting millions of people through websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. For some managers, social media activity has become a factor when deciding to fire employees. Political and religious posts, photos of parties and other activities employers frown upon can sometimes cost workers their jobs. In other cases,… Read More »
Does the Americans with Disabilities Act Work in Illinois?
Twenty five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark federal law outlawing hiring discrimination, people with disabilities in Illinois are still having difficulty getting hired. The ADA has created access in many ways. It has led to many improvements, such as the creation of wheelchair lifts and curbs, technology that assists the… Read More »
Are Unpaid Internships Legal?
Many college students who are on the verge of graduation will take unpaid internships to prepare for their careers. It is usual for employers to desire prepared employees, so many universities around the country have built internship requirements into the curriculum. Recent grads accept such positions typically to gain experience and a foothold in… Read More »
What are Common Mistakes in Estate Planning?
For every American that has a will or trust, there are many more that have never thought about estate planning at all. For many of the people that have yet to work out the details of their estate, the task may seem daunting or scary, but actually, it’s quite painless. Once you’ve met with… Read More »
Estate Planning Tips for Women
Planning an estate can be a uniquely challenging task and most people are fairly unaware of the avenues and options available to them when doing so. Women are more likely to have to deal with the pressure of making plans for their estate. The reason being, women statistically have longer life expectancy than men,… Read More »
Report Shows Illinois Ranked High in Most Complicated and Expensive Estate Taxes in the US
Why Are Illinois’ Real Estate Taxes Near Highest in the Nation? Filling out tax forms is never fun, especially when you know a big price tag is going to come at the end of it. Unfortunately, the news in Illinois is not encouraging. According to a new report by WalletHub, Illinois is one of… Read More »
What Are the Most Common Estate Planning Mistakes?
Estate planning is not a task for a layperson. Anyone who wishes to get their estate in order for their loved ones while saving money on taxes needs professional assistance. These common mistakes can cost your spouse, children and business partners money and time, as well as creating inflated tax bills, problems and arguments… Read More »
Do I Need to Pay the Gift Tax?
The estate tax and the gift tax are basically two sides of the same coin. Congress instituted the gift tax in 1932 to stop people from giving all of their property away in an attempt to avoid paying the estate tax. While gifting valuable assets may come with tax consequences, it is an important… Read More »
When Do Business Owner’s Beliefs Violate Discrimination Laws?
Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents businesses from refusing service based on race, color, religion or national origin. Nowhere in the act’s language is sexual orientation mentioned, thus, federal law does not protect members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from being refused service. However, this issue… Read More »