Estate Planning · DuPage County, Illinois
Wills, trusts, and the planning that keeps your family in control and out of court, from the same DuPage County firm since 1990.
Charitable giving lets you support the causes you care about while creating real tax and estate-planning advantages — when it is structured well. There is a meaningful difference between writing a check and building giving into your estate plan. Done thoughtfully, charitable strategies can reduce income and estate taxes, turn appreciated assets into a stream of income, and leave a lasting legacy in your name or your family’s. Done as an afterthought, you may give up tax benefits you were entitled to. We help you give in a way that serves both the cause and your overall plan.
We help individuals and families across DuPage County and the western suburbs incorporate charitable giving into their estate plans, from straightforward charitable bequests to donor-advised funds and charitable trusts. You work directly with the attorney designing the plan, we coordinate the giving with your will, your trusts, and any estate tax planning, and we explain the trade-offs of each tool in plain language so your generosity is as effective as it is meaningful.
Every situation is different. We design the right combination for yours.
Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT), income to you, remainder to charity
Charitable Lead Trust (CLT), income to charity, remainder to family
We know the Illinois rules in this niche, not just generic estate planning principles.
Specialized strategies must coordinate with your wills, trusts, and POAs. We design them together.
We model the actual tax and benefit impact of strategies before you commit.
Tax law and rules change. We update strategies as needed over time.
Specialized work but predictable pricing, quoted at consultation, not hourly billed.
Chris or John handles this work personally. No handoffs to paralegals.
There are many ways to give, and the right one depends on what you want to accomplish. A simple charitable bequest in your will or trust costs nothing during your life and reduces your taxable estate at death. A donor-advised fund lets you make a deductible gift now and recommend grants to charities over time. A charitable remainder trust can turn appreciated assets — stock or real estate — into a lifetime income stream for you while ultimately benefiting charity and providing a current deduction. Each tool has different tax, income, and control implications, and choosing well is where planning earns its keep.
Giving appreciated assets rather than cash is often the most overlooked opportunity. Donating stock or property that has grown in value can let you avoid the capital gains tax you would owe on a sale while still claiming a deduction, so both you and the charity come out ahead. We help you match the right vehicle and the right asset to your goals, and we build the giving into your estate plan so the benefits are captured rather than missed. The result is more for the causes you care about and, frequently, less lost to taxes along the way.
From our Villa Park office, we represent clients across DuPage County and the western suburbs of Chicago.
A CRT pays you (or other beneficiaries) income for life or a set term, then distributes the remainder to charity. You get an immediate partial tax deduction, defer capital gains on contributed appreciated assets, and ultimately benefit the charity. Very tax-efficient for high-income years or large appreciated holdings.
DAFs are simpler and lower-cost, good for moderate giving and flexibility. CRTs are more sophisticated and provide ongoing income to you. For estates above the Illinois threshold, CRTs are often more tax-efficient.
Yes. Donor-advised funds and many trust structures let you support any qualified 501(c)(3). You can divide annually, leave it to a family member to direct, or set rules in advance.
Best for families giving $1M+ annually who want family involvement and naming control. Higher administrative burden than DAFs. We can help you decide which structure fits your goals.
Yes, both DAFs and certain trusts allow you to take the deduction in the year of contribution while distributing to charities over time.
They can be significant. Charitable gifts made during your life may generate income tax deductions, and gifts made at death reduce your taxable estate, which matters in Illinois where the estate tax exemption is relatively low. Giving appreciated assets can also avoid capital gains tax. The exact benefit depends on the asset, the vehicle, and your situation, so we coordinate charitable giving with the rest of your plan to capture the advantages you are entitled to.
A charitable remainder trust is an arrangement where you place assets — often appreciated stock or real estate — into a trust that pays you, or someone you choose, income for life or a term of years, after which the remainder goes to charity. It can provide a current tax deduction, spread out or reduce capital gains, and create an income stream, all while supporting a cause you care about. It is one of several tools we use to make charitable intentions work harder within an estate plan.
A free consultation tells you whether this strategy fits your situation, and what the realistic impact would be.