Estate Planning Services

Ensure Your Assets Are Protected

It's uncomfortable to think about death, but planning for death is an integral part of life. With an experienced estate planning attorney, you can ensure your assets are properly distributed and minimize any tax consequences. Reach out to the personable, knowledgeable, and trusted attorney at the Law Office of Joan Vasquez for assistance with estate planning.

We'll work with your accountant, financial planner, life insurance advisor, banker, stock broker, and anyone else involved with your assets to manage your financial affairs. Contact us today or fill out our online form for a consultation!

Benefits of Estate Planning

Illinois state law determines who inherits your assets if you pass away without a will. A will is required to control the distribution of your property after you die. However, estate planning includes more than making a will. We can help you answer important questions such as:

• How can I minimize the tax consequences of property transfers after my death?
• If my spouse and I both die, who will raise our children?
• Should I create a trust to protect the assets for my children or other family members?
• Who makes decisions about my finances if I am in a coma or otherwise incapacitated?
• Do I want to be kept alive artificially if I will never regain consciousness?
• Who should I name as beneficiaries of my life insurance and retirement plans?

Full Range of Estate Planning Services

From drafting wills to complex trust documents, you can count on us for all of your estate planning needs. Our services include:

• Help creating a comprehensive estate plan
• Assurance that life insurance beneficiaries, IRAs, and retirement plans are designated in accordance with your estate plan
• Advice regarding options that will minimize estate and inheritance taxes
• Preparation of wills and codicils
• Formation and drafting of family trusts
• Preparation of revocable trusts to provide for asset management prior to death
• Preparation of irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping trusts, and other sophisticated trust documents
• Drafting of a durable power of attorney that will take effect should you become incapacitated
• Drafting a living will, advance health care directives, and any other documents that establish your end-of-life choices
• Help nominating guardians to care for your children if you and your spouse both die
• Help identifying and designating people you can trust to act as executors and trustees