Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 509: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 508: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 1 - Rules)
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
What is an irrevocable trust? It is important to know when to use an irrevocable trust as part of your estate plan. What is the difference between an irrevocable trust and a revocable trust?...more
August is National Make-A-Will Month, a timely reminder to create or update your will. Whether you’re establishing a career, raising a family, or accumulating assets, having a will in place ensures your loved ones are...more
Estate planning is a vital step in protecting your legacy and ensuring your loved ones are protected. Yet, many individuals unintentionally make mistakes that can lead to confusion, delays, and unnecessary expenses....more
Key Takeaways - 1. The Act permanently extends the doubled gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax exclusion amount to $15 million per individual and $30 million per married couple, indexed for inflation. 2. The Act...more
Experienced trusts and estates attorneys consistently observe how proper planning can mean the difference between a thriving legacy and a fragmented enterprise. For family-owned life insurance businesses, the stakes are...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law (2025 Act), which made permanent a number of important tax provisions that were set to expire on January 1, 2026. From an estate planning...more
In uncertain economic times, many individuals are concerned about the value of their investments, and for good reason. When the stock market dips or real estate prices fall, the effect isn’t just felt in personal investment...more
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."- The Serenity Prayer- The first 100 days of President Trump’s administration have been...more
In this episode of Legacy Lessons, Shawn R. McClelland, Partner in our Tax, Trusts, and Estates Practice Group, walks us through one of the most common estate planning questions families face: Should I create a will, or do I...more
The Purple Reign… in Chaos: Netflix, Secrets, and the Fight Over Prince's Legacy...more
On April 30, 2025, Katten hosted Loyola University Chicago's Family Business Center for the "Family Business Through a Legal Lens" program. Private Wealth Partner Adam Damerow and Loyola University Chicago School of Law...more
The recent volatility in the stock market, ongoing trade wars, and talks of further increases to the federal debt ceiling have intensified concerns in recent months around economic uncertainty and the risk of recession. ...more
In our estate planning practice, whether we are helping high-net worth individuals, family-owned business owners or young families, we urge all our clients to avoid these common pitfalls. If you carefully discuss the below...more
The May 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is the same as the April 2025 Section 7520 rate...more
A Hollywood Legend’s Final Act: A Lesson in Estate Planning - The world recently bid farewell to legendary actor Gene Hackman, who passed away on February 18, 2025, at the age of 95. Just six days earlier, his wife, Betsy...more
The United States is on the brink of the largest transition of wealth in its history, known as the “Great Wealth Transfer.” By 2045, an estimated $84 trillion in assets will be transferred from baby-boomers to their heirs. In...more
In the late 19th century, death was almost fashionable. Funerals were well attended and even rivaled weddings in their splendor and expense. Department stores offered an array of luxury clothing for grieving mothers and...more
The lifetime estate tax exemption amount is as high as ever. The estate tax exemption amount rose from $1,000,000 in 2002 to $5,000,000 in 2011. Then, Congress doubled the amount of the estate tax exemption in 2018. As of...more
Springtime is a great time to review your current estate plan or consider creating one. This year brings a number of opportunities for creating an estate plan, pursuing gifting strategies, and considering philanthropic...more
Remember, as a general concept, estate planning allows an individual to plan not only for what happens to his or her estate upon death, but also how his or her affairs are handled during life. There are certain documents that...more
How often should you review your trust and estate plan? Is there a regular cycle to these reviews, or should they be driven by significant events in your life or the lives of your beneficiaries and executor or trustee? How...more
As is our tradition each January, several Warner attorneys attended the annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the country’s most well-respected educational event for professionals working in the trusts and estates...more
The Massey Family’s $10M Settlement: A Win, But What’s Next? Sonya Massey’s tragic death was yet another painful reminder of the deep racial injustices that persist in America. On July 6, 2024, Sonya, a 36-year-old Black...more
When minor children are addressed in an estate plan, special considerations are involved to ensure their well-being and financial security. Parents ought to make decisions about who they would prefer to serve as the guardian...more
Dear Jonathan: Based on my research, I feel like I’m pretty well versed in what I am supposed to do when it comes to creating an estate plan for myself. Everything I have read says that I should have a will, powers of...more