Search probate guides, practical articles, and estate settlement resources.1148 in-depth guides • 96 blog posts
How to avoid probate in Illinois: the transfer on death instrument, POD and TOD accounts, joint tenancy, the $150,000 small estate affidavit, and living trusts.
Illinois ancillary probate when a nonresident dies owning Illinois land: admitting a foreign will under 755 ILCS 5/Art. VII and the Section 22-4 shortcut.
Illinois debt payment priority runs through seven classes under 755 ILCS 5/18-10, and 18-13 pays same-class claims pro rata when an estate is insolvent.
Illinois RUFADAA, 755 ILCS 70/, decides who reaches online accounts after death: the online tool rule, Letters of Office, a 60-day clock, and crypto.
Illinois estate planning basics: the will, property power of attorney, health care documents, and living trust adults need, plus probate and the $4M estate tax.
Illinois taxes estates over $4,000,000 under 35 ILCS 405/, and that exclusion is not indexed and not portable. The 2026 federal exclusion is $15 million.
Illinois executor bond: an individual representative files an oath and a court-approved bond under 755 ILCS 5/12-2 unless the will excuses security.
Illinois guardianship runs in two tracks: adults with a disability under Article XIa and minors under Article XI, plus how a power of attorney avoids court.
Illinois healthcare directive rules: a health care power of attorney (one witness), a living will (two witnesses), the surrogate priority list, and IDPH POLST.
How an Illinois pet trust works under 760 ILCS 3/408: naming the animals, a caregiver, a trustee, and an enforcer, funding it, and where leftover money goes.
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