Skip to main content

Huntley, Illinois

Estate Planning Attorneys

For many people, the idea of an estate plan feels far out of reach. The use of the word “estate” sounds so grand, why would any average person want more than just a will?

But an estate plan is an incredibly useful tool for EVERYONE, no matter your bank account size. It determines more than who gets what, it also offers you the opportunity to make sure your wishes are followed when you’re incapable of making those decisions in the moment.

Our Huntley, Illinois firm, Diamond Estate Planning, is available to explain what makes an estate plan so important, as well as making the process as easy as possible for you to set one up.

Click to schedule a free consultation

Why Should I Care About Estate Planning?

A good estate plan keeps you in control and makes sure your wishes are protected.

Because if you don’t come up with your own plan, then the state of Illinois will create one for you.

Have you ever worried about who will get your house if something happens to you? Will your family have to go to court or pay a bunch of extra fees to straighten out the title of your house?

That’s where Diamond Estate Planning comes in.

Estate planning is the process of creating a documented plan for how your spouse or loved ones will deal with your passing or if you become incapacitated. We want to make sure your kids, your property, and your legacy are handled the way that you would like.

You collect various belongings throughout your life that make up your estate:

  • Car
  • Home
  • Other real estate
  • Checking account
  • Savings account
  • 401K or simple retirement account
  • Investments
  • Life insurance
  • Furniture
  • Personal possessions

Making note of your wishes and organizing them into a concrete plan is what estate planning is all about.
Estate planning exists so that you have a say in choices related to you, even after you are able to make them at the necessary times.

So, How Will Working With Diamond Estate Planning Help You?

At Diamond Estate Planning, we take the time to fully understand your unique situation and will guide you through the process. Our Huntley, Illinois attorneys offer services such as:

Advance Directive, also known as a Living Will

A living will is a document that tells your healthcare provider (or hospital) your end-of-life medical care if you become unable to communicate. For example, a living will clarifies whether you want to be on life support, etc.

Asset Protection

A good estate plan and organizing everything in a good trust can protect assets from family disputes.

Estate Planning Resources For Professionals

As a professional, you have a lot of personal exposure because of the possibility of malpractice claims. For many professional licenses, you can never get rid of your liability for negligence or malpractice. If you have a claim that is either declined by your professional malpractice insurance or that exceeds the limits, a good estate plan can protect your assets. Things like a land trust with a bank or title company can keep your name out of the public records for your home.

Trusts

We create trusts that avoid probate (the process of your family going to court after you die). Our trusts clearly explain your wishes to your family and set up protections for minor children and family members on government assistance. Trusts can also direct your family to make charitable donations to causes you care about. Additionally, a trust can make sure specific items (like your grandmother’s wedding ring, a Gutenberg bible, your grandfather’s flag, the vintage Mustang) go to who you want to have them. A trust can spell out your wishes regarding who you want to take care of your children, and even your wishes for your pets. (Because we want to help you make sure Rover still gets his rubber Wall Street Journal every morning!)

Find out more

Wills

Wills spell out your wishes to your family. Like trusts, wills can make clear who you want to inherit what, as well as explaining your wishes for your children and your pets. Unlike trusts, however, your family still has to go to court after you die to access your money and distribute your property the way you wanted them to. Your will also becomes public record, whereas a trust does not.

Find out more

Wealth Preservation

Diamond Estate Planning can help with wealth preservation by making sure that when someone dies or becomes disabled, proper contingencies are in place. That way, you can control what will happen to your wealth and avoid possible loss or unnecessary legal expenses.

Power of Attorneys (POAs)

A power of attorney designates a person you trust to make health care or financial decisions for you if you can’t do them yourself. You also designate additional, backup people to step in if you first choice is unavailable. There are multiple types of POAs.

  • Health Care Power of Attorney: Spells out your wishes for your medical care, and end-of-life wishes in particular.
  • Power of Attorney for Property: Designates a person or people who can take care of your possessions, financial affairs, and real estate for you, if needed. This avoids needing a guardianship if you are temporarily incapacitated or disabled. Your power of attorney can conduct your affairs for you (write checks, pay bills, buy or sell real estate, etc.)

It’s important to note that these arrangements only work when you are alive. If you are your grandmother’s power of attorney and she passes away, you cannot do anything with her property (bank accounts, investment accounts and real estate) without either probating an estate or using a trust that she set up when she was alive.

Find out more

Health care power of attorney for minor children

Parents can set up a health care power of attorney for their children, giving someone other than themselves permission to take the child to the doctor or emergency room. One example could be if you are out of town for a long weekend or a long vacation without your child, or if your child is with a babysitter and you cannot get to the hospital or doctor to get them prompt treatment.

What Makes Diamond Estate Planning Unique?

At Diamond Estate Planning, we help you create an estate plan that works for you now and will grow with you as your life progresses.

We have kids (and grandkids!) of our own, so our team knows how important they are, as well as how hard it is to plan for what’s to come. When you finish signing your documents, we want you to feel confident about the plan you’ve put into place.

Of course most people are not excited to think about the prospect of dying, that’s why our goal is to make this process as painless and as streamlined as possible.

We have a wide network of attorneys with a variety of knowledge, so the work that we do for you will help prepare you for the unexpected. Our team approach makes sure that everything is monitored closely. Multiple attorneys will understand your file and your needs, and you don’t end up waiting endlessly for one attorney who’s stuck in court to call you back.

Consider Calling Diamond Estate Planning Today

Even if you’ve never considered an Estate Plan before, we highly encourage you to take the step. Protecting your family and your future is in YOUR hands. Give our Huntley, Illinois estate planning lawyers a call today at 779-704-5738 to schedule your first consultation with our team.

If you’d like to learn more, consider checking out our FAQ page or Blog for more information.

Click to schedule a free consultation
Contact Us





    Skip to content