by Lauren Jackson | Apr 9, 2025 | Attorney, Beneficiaries, Estate Planning, Guardian, Lawyer, Revocable living trust, Wills
A question that we get asked often is “when should I update my estate plan?” Updating your estate plan is essential to ensure it reflects your current wishes and circumstances. You should update your estate plan whenever significant life events occur or when you know...
by Lauren Jackson | Mar 12, 2025 | Attorney, Beneficiaries, Estate Planning, Guardian, Life Insurnace, Wills
When creating an estate plan, many parents with young children have one big concern: Who will provide for our children financially if something were to happen to us? One of the most important goals of parenting is ensuring your children’s long-term financial...
by Lauren Jackson | Feb 18, 2025 | Attorney, buying a home, Contracts, Lawyer, Real Estate, real estate closing, Real Estate Inspection, selling a home
When you purchase real estate in Illinois, you will negotiate with the seller and come to an agreement. Once you both agree on the terms in principle, you will sign a real estate contract. Once both parties sign the contract, the real estate attorney is brought into...
by Lauren Jackson | Feb 1, 2025 | Attorney, Beneficiary, Estate Planning, Lawyer, Revocable living trust, Trusts
The decision to set up a revocable trust is less about a specific net worth and more about your goals and the complexity of your estate. Just about everyone can benefit from a revocable trust and let’s dive into some of the main features. When thinking about creating...
by Lauren Jackson | Jan 6, 2025 | Deed, mortgage, Quit claim deed, Real Estate
A very common estate planning practice is to draft a trust and title your real estate in the name of the trust. This practice lets the trust “own” your real estate holdings. There are many positive reasons why one would do this. However, if the property owned by the...
by Lauren Jackson | Dec 14, 2024 | buying a home, lender's title policy, owner's title policy, Real Estate, real estate closing, selling a home
When reviewing documents with real estate clients, title insurance is one of the most asked-about costs on the settlement statement. During the process, you will learn there are two types of title insurance policies, an Owner’s title insurance and a Lender’s title...
by Lauren Jackson | Nov 11, 2024 | Attorney, buying a home, Lawyer, mortgage, Real Estate, real estate closing
When searching for a home loan (mortgage) or refinancing an existing mortgage, it is confusing to compare one loan to another. We all want to get the best deal. One might think the loan with the lowest advertised interest rate would always be the best option....
by Lauren Jackson | Aug 26, 2024 | Attorney, buying a home, Contract for deed, Contracts, Deed, Lawyer, mortgage, Real Estate, real estate closing, selling a home
A contract for deed, also known as a land contract, installment contract, or a bond for deed is a legal agreement between two parties, a buyer and a seller. Unlike most traditional real estate transaction that involves a mortgage from a bank, in a contract for deed...
by Lauren Jackson | Jul 18, 2024 | Attorney, Estate Planning, executor, Lawyer, Wills
As an estate-planning law firm, we are asked by clients, how much money do I need to create a will? In simple terms, there is no minimum net worth requirement for creating a will. Frankly, net worth is far down on the list when it comes to reasons for drafting a will....
by Lauren Jackson | Jul 12, 2024 | Attorney, Estate Planning, Lawyer, Living will, Power of Attorney, Wills
Recently I recorded an episode on the Your Life, Your Money Podcast with financial advisor Scott Sierens. During this episode we went through the fundamental aspects of estate planning, addressing common misconceptions and highlighting why having a solid estate plan...
