Estate Planning
Safeguard your wealth for the next generation through thoughtful estate planning. Lower estate tax bills, guarantee assets pass as you intend, and care for your family in the most efficient way possible.
Safeguarding What You've Built
Estate planning extends far beyond moving money—it's about making certain your assets go exactly where you want them, all while cutting taxes and keeping administrative expenses low. Winnetka Financial assists affluent individuals and families across Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, and the North Shore in developing thorough estate plans that shield and maintain their legacies.
Our estate planning method weaves naturally into your complete financial picture, accounting for retirement holdings, investment portfolios, property, business stakes, and other valuable assets. We partner with your legal and tax advisors to make sure every piece of your estate plan functions in harmony.
From straightforward wills and trusts to advanced techniques for reducing estate taxes and supporting future generations, we guide you through estate planning's complexities with understanding and assurance. If you hold property in Winnetka, run a business in Highland Park, or keep assets in Lake Forest, we deliver customized estate planning solutions for Illinois families.
Our Estate Planning Process
- Comprehensive estate analysis and evaluation
- Estate planning document coordination
- Trust design and implementation
- Estate tax minimization strategies
- Beneficiary designation optimization
- Wealth transfer planning
- Coordination with legal and tax professionals
Comprehensive Estate Planning Services
Estate Plan Review & Analysis
We begin with a comprehensive review of your current estate plan, analyzing your assets, existing documents, and beneficiary designations. We identify potential issues, tax implications, and opportunities for optimization.
- Current estate plan documentation review
- Asset inventory and valuation
- Beneficiary designation audit
- Estate tax exposure analysis
- Gap identification and recommendations
Trust Design & Implementation
We help design and implement trusts appropriate for your situation, including revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping trusts, and charitable trusts. Each is customized to achieve specific estate planning objectives.
- Revocable living trust planning
- Irrevocable trust strategies
- Generation-skipping transfer tax planning
- Charitable trust design
- Trust funding and implementation
Estate Tax Minimization
For high-net-worth estates, we develop strategies to minimize estate taxes through gifting strategies, trust planning, and other wealth transfer techniques. We help you take full advantage of applicable exemptions and credits.
- Annual gifting strategies
- Lifetime exemption planning
- Spousal portability strategies
- Qualified small business and farm exemptions
- Charitable giving strategies
Beneficiary Designation Optimization
We review and optimize beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and other assets with beneficiary designations to ensure they align with your estate plan and minimize tax consequences.
- Retirement account beneficiary review
- Life insurance beneficiary optimization
- Trust beneficiary coordination
- Minor and disabled beneficiary planning
- Tax-efficient beneficiary strategies
Business Succession Planning
For business owners, we help develop succession plans that facilitate smooth ownership transitions while minimizing tax consequences and preserving business value for future generations.
- Business valuation and analysis
- Succession structure design
- Buy-sell agreement coordination
- Business interest gifting strategies
- Family limited partnership planning
Charitable Giving Strategies
We help you incorporate charitable giving into your estate plan in ways that provide maximum benefit to your chosen charities while optimizing tax advantages for your estate and heirs.
- Charitable remainder trust planning
- Charitable lead trust strategies
- Donor-advised fund integration
- Gift timing and optimization
- Legacy planning and family foundations
Protect Your Legacy Today
Ensure your wealth transfers efficiently to the next generation according to your wishes. Schedule a consultation to review your estate planning needs.
Important Disclosures: Educational purposes only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice. Insurance products offered through World Financial Group Insurance Agency. Securities/investment advice available through Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. (TFA), member FINRA/SIPC.