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For many successful professionals, estate planning feels like something you complete once and check off your list. You sign a will, create a trust, and assume everything will pass according to the plan you carefully designed.
But one overlooked detail can quietly undo even the most sophisticated estate plan.
Beneficiary designations.
For high-earning professionals and families in Libertyville and across Lake County, beneficiary forms attached to retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and certain investment accounts often control who receives

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Continue Reading Beneficiary Designations vs. Your Estate Plan: The Costly Mistake Many High-Earners Make

In 2026, the definition of an “estate” has expanded far beyond physical property, real estate, and paper records, with estate planning for digital assets becoming all the more necessary. For today’s affluent families, a substantial portion of their wealth—and their legacy—is stored entirely online. Cryptocurrency portfolios, revenue-producing websites, valuable domain names, cloud-based business systems, and AI-generated intellectual property now form the backbone of modern estates. Yet these digital assets are often secured behind complex layers of encryption, two-factor authentication,

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Continue Reading Estate Planning for Digital Assets: Protecting Your Online Wealth

For many families in Illinois and Wisconsin, a vacation home is more than just real estate; it is a repository of memories, a sanctuary for multi-generational gatherings, and a significant component of a family’s legacy. However, without a strategic approach to estate planning for vacation homes, these cherished properties can become a source of legal complexity and family disharmony.
At Lexern Law Group, we help families navigate the unique challenges of passing down secondary residences, ensuring that

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Continue Reading Beyond the Deed: Estate Planning for Vacation Homes

Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with flowers and fine dining, but the ultimate expression of commitment is ensuring your partner’s future is secure. Whether you are navigating the complexities of a family business, managing significant real estate holdings, or protecting the interests of a blended family, strategic estate planning for couples ensures your legacy remains intact and your wishes are legally enforceable.
At Lexern Law Group, we specialize in helping couples in Illinois and Wisconsin navigate these sensitive

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Continue Reading Strategic Estate Planning for Couples in 2026

Integrated estate & business planning is often the missing link for high-achieving individuals who have mastered their craft but haven’t yet bulletproofed their legacy. As a licensed professional or a successful business owner, you dedicate your life to building, protecting, and growing valuable assets—whether that’s a thriving medical practice, a boutique consultancy, or a multi-unit enterprise. You excel at foresight within your field, but have you applied that same rigorous strategy to the interconnected futures of your personal wealth

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Continue Reading Why Integrated Estate & Business Planning Works

Most people think of estate planning as something that only matters after they’re gone. But for many families — especially for professionals, business owners, and parents — incapacity planning is just as important as death planning.
Incapacity can happen at any stage of life due to illness, injury, or unexpected medical events. Without proper planning, your family may be forced into costly court proceedings just to manage your finances, make medical decisions, or keep your business running.
A well-structured

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Continue Reading Incapacity Planning Is Just as Important as Death Planning

Estate planning for high-earning professionals may seem straight forward as you enter higher tax brackets, but the reality is there may be more protections that need to be in place. High-earning professionals often assume they’re “too young,” “too busy,” or “well covered” when it comes to estate planning. In reality, higher income brings higher complexity — and more risk if planning is delayed.
If you’re a physician, dentist, attorney, business owner, executive, or licensed professional earning a substantial income,

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Continue Reading Estate Planning for High-Earning Professionals

If you’re a Russian-speaking entrepreneur building your business in the U.S., you already know you’re balancing more than most—new laws, new systems, new risks. Estate planning isn’t just paperwork; it’s protection for everything you’ve worked so hard to create.
Если вы русскоязычный предприниматель в США, вы уже знаете, что вам приходится разбираться в новых законах, правилах и рисках. Планирование наследства — это не просто документы, а защита вашего бизнеса, семьи и будущего.

Why Estate Planning Matters for Russian-Speaking Entrepreneurs

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Continue Reading Estate Planning for Russian-Speaking Entrepreneurs in the U.S.

Choosing between an LLC and an S-Corporation isn’t just a tax decision — it’s a family protection decision. The business structure you choose affects liability, control, taxes, succession planning, and even whether your business ends up tangled in probate.
If you’re a local small or mid-size business owner, understanding these differences can help you safeguard what you’ve built and protect the people you love.

LLC vs. S-Corp: Quick Comparison Chart

Feature
LLC
S-Corporation

Liability Protection
Strong limited liability for

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Continue Reading LLC vs. S-Corp for Small Business Owners: Which Protects Your Family Better?

As a new lawyer handling (what I assumed was) an easy settlement disbursement meeting on a small personal injury case, I vividly recall learning that the client was on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and then leaving the room to ask one of our firm’s estate planning and elder law attorneys, “Is this going to be an issue?”

Aside from having the good – and increasingly rare – fortune of being part of a general practice firm where I could…
Continue Reading Knowing the Intersection of Settlements and Public Benefits

Physicians spend years building a thriving practice—but many overlook the estate planning steps that protect their business, income, and family if something unexpected happens. The result? Court delays, tax headaches, operational chaos, and personal exposure.
Here are the top 10 estate planning mistakes doctors commonly make—and how to avoid them.

1. Not Having a Business Continuity Plan
Without a continuity plan, your practice could shut down immediately if you become incapacitated or pass away. Patients, staff, and revenue would

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Continue Reading Top 10 Estate Planning Mistakes Doctors Make

Corporate executives in Wisconsin often receive a large portion of their compensation through restricted stock units (RSUs), stock grants, or employer equity awards. As your shares vest, they can quickly become a significant part of your net worth—and with that comes complex questions about taxes, transfer planning, and probate exposure.
One of the most effective strategies to gain more control over how your vested shares are handled is transferring employer stock into a trust. For Wisconsin executives, a trust

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Continue Reading Should Executives in Wisconsin Put Employer Stock Into a Trust?

If you’re a business owner in Illinois preparing for a sale, here’s a question most people don’t think to ask:
“Is my estate plan ready for this transaction?”
And the honest answer is usually: not yet.
Selling a company — especially a family-owned business — isn’t just a financial transaction. It’s a major estate planning event. If your estate plan isn’t aligned with the sale, you could unintentionally create tax problems, delay closing, or leave your family stuck in

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Continue Reading What Business Owners in Illinois Must Fix in Their Estate Plan Before They Sell

On November 13, 2025 the Internal Revenue Service announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits.  Almost all of the limits shown below have increased from last year.
 

Qualified Plan Limit
Cost-of-Living Adjustments

401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit

2025 – $23,500

2026 – $24,500

$200,000 compensation limit

2025 – $350,000

2026 – $360,000

$160,000 defined benefit limit

2025 – $280,000

2026 – $290,000

$40,000 defined contribution limit

2025 – $70,000

2026 – $72,000

$80,000 definition…
Continue Reading 2026 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2026 Social Security Taxable Wage Base

Closeup of Vote by Mail envelope
Closeup of a Vote by Mail envelope, official balloting material - business reply mail, USPS first class mail.

In August of this year, the US Post Office announced a new rule that included without much fanfare a MAJOR change in when letters are postmarked. Under this new rule, most letters will no longer be postmarked on the day the letter is received by a post office but instead postmarked a day later when the letter is processed at a regional mail processing facility.
It is important that mailers understand the distinction between the date when the Postal…
Continue Reading Postmark changes at the Post Office and late mail

Estate planning for dentists doesn’t need to be complicated. What happens to your dental practice—and your wealth—when you decide to sell or retire?

For Illinois dentists, selling a dental practice isn’t just a business decision—it’s a key moment in your estate and tax planning. The sale can impact your retirement, your family’s future, and even your liability exposure long after you hang up your white coat. Whether you’re selling to an associate, merging with a larger group, or transitioning

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Continue Reading Estate Planning for Dentists Selling Their Practice in Illinois