Help Me Get My Feet Back On The Ground: Understanding and Calculating the Illinois Estate Tax

Explore the intricate intersection of Real Estate Titles and Estate Planning and Administration. Delve into clients’ common estate planning goals for real estate and the best instruments & tools to carry out those goals. Be wary of titling or transfers to multiple beneficiaries having shared ownership rights and responsibilities in real estate, which often leads to dispute. Uncover pitfalls and misconceptions with living trusts, land trusts, joint tenancy with non-spouses, and transfer on death instruments (such as accidental disinheritance, exposure of assets to waste or creditors, unequal inheritances among beneficiaries, and more). Gain insights into the best practices for streamlining the transfer of real property to address a client’s (and client’s spouse’s) future disability and death. Learn the benefits of selling real estate during probate and trust administration, and which legal document/instrument to prepare and record. Obtain practical knowledge and real-world examples to enhance your proficiency and deliver optimal client outcomes. Originally presented as part of the Taking, Holding, and Transferring Illinois Real Estate Titles 2024.

This session will summarize the key tax and estate planning benefits that can be achieved by carefully incorporating a life insurance policy in a client’s estate plan. In addition, it will address the differences between term and permanent life insurance, determining who should be the owner and beneficiary of the life insurance policy, how best to fund a trust-owned life insurance policy, and avoiding the troublesome “transfer-for-value” rule.

Originally presented as part of the Estate Planning Boot Camp.

This session will focus on common estate planning mistakes that we should all avoid and will cover many topics, including taking advantage of portability, using the Illinois QTIP election and properly allocating GST exemption.

Originally presented as part of the Estate Planning Boot Camp.