Estate Planning
A Life Lesson from Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix died without a will in 1970, sparking decades of family lawsuits. His story is the clearest argument there is for having a plan.
Insights
Plain-English law for Illinois families and business.
Practical articles on estate planning, probate, farm succession, business, and more — written by Richard T. Marvel.
Insights
Estate Planning & Family
Estate Planning
The Complete Estate-Planning Series
An Illinois estate-planning guide—digital assets and RUFADAA, trusts, lifetime gifting, retirement accounts under the SECURE Act, and charitable giving.
Estate Planning
The Myths We Tell Ourselves About Estate Planning
The estate planning myths that cost Illinois families most — 'I'm too young,' 'a will avoids probate,' 'only the rich need it,' and 'my family will sort it out.
Estate Planning
Pet Trusts in Illinois: Providing for the Animals You Love
Illinois law recognizes pet trusts. How to set one up — funding, naming a caretaker and trustee, and setting the standard of care for your animals.
Estate Planning
Three Ways to Protect Yourself in Case You Get Sued
How Illinois business owners and families protect assets before a lawsuit—titling, LLCs, trusts, insurance, and exemptions that actually work.
Estate Planning
Estate Planning for Blended Families
Protecting a current spouse and children from a prior marriage in Illinois—QTIP trusts, beneficiary designations, and the spousal elective share.
Estate Planning
Warning — Don't Let Creditors Inherit from You!
Leaving money outright can mean your heir's creditors or ex-spouse get it instead. Illinois trusts with spendthrift protection keep it in the family.
Estate Planning
Revocable Living Trusts in Illinois: A Complete Guide
How revocable living trusts work in Illinois — funding, avoiding probate, planning for incapacity, privacy, and what a trust can and can't do.
Estate Planning
Who's on Your Team?
Your estate plan is only as strong as the people you name to carry it out. Here's how to choose the right executor, trustee, agents, and guardians.
Estate Planning
Is a Handwritten Will Okay?
A handwritten will can be valid in Illinois — but only if it's properly signed and witnessed. Unwitnessed holographic wills don't count here.
Estate Planning
What Impact Does the Citizenship of My Spouse Have on My Estate?
Married to a non-U.S. citizen? It changes how your estate is taxed. An Illinois attorney explains the marital deduction, QDOTs, and gifting limits.
Estate Planning
Can You Make a Video Will?
A video recording alone is not a valid will in Illinois. Here's what the law actually requires — and how video can still help your estate plan.
Estate Planning
DIY Estate Plans: The Common Mistakes That Cost Illinois Families
The most common — and costly — mistakes in online and DIY estate plans in Illinois, from witnessing errors to unfunded trusts and beneficiary mismatches.
Estate Planning
Do Millennials Really Need an Estate Plan?
Yes — younger adults in Illinois need estate planning too. Guardianship for kids, digital assets, powers of attorney, and a simple starter plan that fits.
Estate Planning
The SECURE Act: How Does It Affect Your Retirement Accounts?
The SECURE Act changed how inherited IRAs work, including a 10-year payout rule for many heirs. Here's what Illinois families need to know.
Estate Planning
Estate-Planning Strategies to Protect Your Spouse
Illinois estate planning to protect a surviving spouse—credit-shelter trusts, the $4M exclusion and no portability, titling, and income planning.
Estate Planning
Lifetime Gifting and the "No Clawback" Rule
What the federal anti-clawback rule means for large lifetime gifts, how the $15M exemption changed in 2026, and how Illinois's $4M estate tax fits in.
Estate Planning
Mike's Story — What Happens When You Die Without a Plan in Illinois
A composite story showing what happens in Illinois when someone dies without an estate plan — and how a little planning would have changed everything.
Estate Planning
Surprise! You Can't Easily Disinherit Your Spouse in the U.S.
Illinois lets a surviving spouse renounce the will and take one-third or one-half of the estate. A Bloomington attorney explains the elective share.
Estate Planning
What Happens When Your Disabled Child Turns 18 — and What You Need to Do Beforehand
A Bloomington attorney explains Illinois adult guardianship, special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and protecting benefits before your child turns 18.
Estate Planning
The Time for an Estate Plan Checkup Is Now
An estate plan that fit a few years ago may now be out of date. An Illinois attorney walks through what to review so your plan still does what you want.
Estate Planning
Can a Non-U.S. Citizen Create an Estate Plan in the U.S.?
Yes, a non-U.S. citizen can create an estate plan here. An Illinois attorney explains foreign property, wills, taxes, and special rules for non-citizen spouses.
Estate Planning
State Estate and Inheritance Taxes — Plan Now or Pay Dearly Later
Illinois taxes estates over $4 million with no spousal portability. A Bloomington attorney explains how it differs from federal tax and what to do.
Estate Planning
Special Estate Planning Considerations for Art and Other Collections
A Bloomington attorney explains appraisals, liquidity, charitable gifts, and succession for art and collections in your Illinois estate plan.
Estate Planning
Estate Planning for Franchise and Multilevel Marketing Business Owners
A Bloomington attorney explains how franchise approval clauses and MLM distributorships affect your estate plan and who can inherit your business.
Estate Planning
Seven Ways to Avoid Family Fights Over Your Property
A Bloomington estate planning attorney shares seven practical ways to keep your children from fighting over your property after you're gone.
Estate Planning
How to Maximize the Inheritance for Your Loved Ones
Probate costs, Illinois estate tax, beneficiary mistakes, and trusts — practical ways to leave your loved ones more of what you worked to build.
Estate Planning
Tips on Divvying Up Your Possessions
Heirlooms and household items cause more family fights than money. Here's how to divide personal property fairly under Illinois estate planning.
Estate Planning
Protect Your Family from Lawsuits
Asset protection basics in Illinois — entities, titling, trusts, and insurance, plus what an estate plan realistically can and can't shield.
Estate Planning
3 Reasons Not to Estate Plan Now
The three most common excuses for putting off your estate plan in Illinois, and why each one falls apart when you look at it closely.
Estate Planning
Are You at Risk of Losing $34,200 Today?
A nursing home stay can drain a lifetime of savings fast. Here's how Illinois Medicaid spend-down works and how planning ahead can protect what you've built.
Estate Planning
Perhaps the Most Important Article We've Ever Written
No will, no powers of attorney, no plan? In Illinois, the state decides. Here's what every adult should have in place and what it costs to skip it.
Estate Planning
Athletes: Do Not Let Your Big Payday Become a Big Burden for You and Your Loved Ones
A big athletic payday can become a burden without the right plan. An Illinois attorney explains taxes, asset protection, and the documents that protect you.
Estate Planning
Estate Planning for Religious Leaders
A Bloomington estate planning attorney explains housing allowances, vows of poverty, parsonage issues, and coordinating personal and church roles.
Estate Planning
Is Your Estate Plan Incapacity Proof?
Most plans focus on death and forget incapacity. Here's how Illinois powers of attorney, directives, and trusts keep your family out of court.
Probate
Ancillary Probate: When It's Used, Where It Occurs, and How to Avoid It
Own property in another state? Your family may face a second probate. Learn how ancillary probate works and how to avoid it. Call Marvel Law.
Probate
The Wrong Choice Could Cause a Two-Year Delay
The wrong executor or administration path can stall an Illinois estate for years. Learn how to choose wisely. Call Marvel Law to plan it right.
Probate
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs
Probate in Illinois takes time and money. Here are 3 straightforward ways to keep assets out of probate. Call Marvel Law to set up the right plan.
Probate
Can You Prevent Someone from Challenging a Will?
Worried someone will challenge your will in Illinois? Learn what holds up, how no-contest clauses work, and how to plan ahead. Call Marvel Law.
Probate
5 Reasons You May Need an Attorney When a Loved One Dies
Lost a loved one in Illinois? Here are 5 times hiring a probate attorney saves families time, money, and stress. Call Marvel Law to talk it through.
Insights
Farm, Land & Agriculture
Agriculture & Farm Succession
The Importance of Farm Succession Planning
Why every Central Illinois farm family needs a succession plan. Practical guidance on protecting the land, retiring securely, and avoiding family disputes.
Agriculture & Farm Succession
Week 2: Preparing for Farm Transfer — Key Considerations
Before you transfer the farm, weigh retirement security, the next generation's readiness, taxes, and the hard emotional questions. Practical Illinois guidance.
Property Tax Appeals
Property Tax Appeal Win! How Illinois Assessment Appeals Actually Work
How Illinois property tax assessment appeals work, from the Board of Review to PTAB, and the evidence that wins. Bloomington-Normal attorney.
Insights
Business, Real Estate & Energy
Business Law
Should You Form an LLC?
Wondering whether to form an Illinois LLC? Here's how it compares to a sole proprietorship or corporation on liability, taxes, cost, and paperwork. Call Marvel Law.
Business Law
A $10 Million Dollar Lesson Learned from Nike
When designers walked out of Nike to launch a competitor, the dispute turned on agreements every business should have. Here's the lesson. Call Marvel Law.
Business Law
LLC Ownership vs. Distributional Interests: What Illinois Business Owners Should Know
In an Illinois LLC, owning a piece of the profits isn't the same as being a member. Here's how membership and distributional interests differ. Call Marvel Law.
Business Law
Four Incentives the SECURE Act Gives Small Business Owners
The SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0 give small employers real tax credits for starting a retirement plan. Here are four incentives worth knowing. Call Marvel Law.
Business Law
A $6.9 Million Dollar Lesson for Employers
Misclassifying workers or skipping wage rules can cost an employer millions. Here's what Illinois small employers need to get right. Call Marvel Law.
Business Law
Unpaid Invoices Cost Small Businesses
An unpaid invoice is money you already earned. Here's how Illinois businesses collect: demand letters, interest, small claims, liens, and prevention. Call Marvel Law.
Construction
A Potential Liability Trap for Contractors
An Illinois indemnity clause can be void and leave you exposed. Here is the contract trap contractors miss, and how to protect your business.
Construction
An Important Warning for General Contractors
A subcontractor you already paid through can still trigger a lien. Here is the Illinois double-payment trap GCs must avoid, and how to protect yourself.
Real Estate
What Lease Did You Sign?
Why reading and understanding a lease matters before you sign: guarantees, escalation, assignment, renewal, and default clauses. Central Illinois real estate attorney.
Real Estate
Have Investment Property? Read This Before You Rent It!
What an Illinois landlord must get right before renting: leases, security deposits, disclosures, habitability, fair housing, and when to use an LLC.
Real Estate
Be Careful — The New Fence Could Cost You!
Before you build a fence in Illinois: boundary lines, surveys, the Fence Act, easements, and adverse possession risks. Practical guidance from a Central Illinois attorney.
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