BLOGS

To our past and current clients, advisors, colleagues and friends:It is the first day of spring of 2020 and instead of looking with anticipation to our summer of fun, we find ourselves  in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, with no clear answers or definite end in sight.  Fear of what is to come is unsettling to everyone and we are all feeling a loss of control and sense of helplessness as we try to care for our loved ones. The list of what we cannot control is staggering and shocking.  We cannot control the stock market.  We ...

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, we are all sharing in the concern for our families, businesses, and communities. In this era of social distancing we are finding new ways to stand together.At Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, (“Navigant”) LLC we are taking precautionary measures to keep our employees and our clients safe. We are holding the majority of client meeting...

Did you know you can set up a Trust for your dog, cat, bird, horse, or even guinea pig, to be sure they will be taken care of after you’re gone? It’s true. Illinois’ Pet Trust Statute has been in existence since 2005, and it allows you to provide in your Revocable Living Trust or Last Will and Testament that one or more Trusts will be created and maintained for the sole benefit of your pet or pets following your death.When preparing the governing instrument, you will specify the following:Which pet or pets are the “beneficiari...

Don't procrastinate! Take some time in the next couple of months to consider your estate plan – whether doing it for the first time or updating.  This is really important for you and your loved ones.We all know that bad things happen, and usually when you’re least expecting it.  We are all busy living our lives, day by day, trying to get through our endless “To-Do” lists.  But a life-changing, or life-ending, accident or illness can strike at any time and at any age.  None of us are immune from this.  So plan for it now.A b...

The term “estate” may conjure images of an elderly, wealthy matriarch executing a Last Will and Testament declaring which of her children and grandchildren shall inherit the family wealth at her death. Maybe she is disinheriting one or more of her natural heirs because they have mistreated her. There may even be a “reading of the Will” following her death in which family members gasp and glare  at one another when the secret estate plan is finally revealed to all. In reality, Estate Planning and Estate Administration is not like you se...