Daci Jett Law, LLC

08/30/2026

The trustee question most people skip.

A successor trustee is the person you name to take over trust responsibilities if you can’t continue. The best choice isn’t automatically the oldest child or the person who lives closest. Think about who can stay organized, make careful decisions, and communicate clearly with the people involved.

It also helps to ask whether that person understands the role and is willing to serve. A thoughtful conversation now can make the plan easier for everyone to understand later.

08/24/2026

Being together for years does not automatically protect your partner under Illinois law.

If you are unmarried, your partner may not inherit from you by default — and they may not be first in line to make medical or financial decisions for you.

Our latest blog explains what unmarried couples in Illinois should know about wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary forms, home ownership, and trusts.

Read the full guide in the comments.

08/21/2026

One Illinois rule that quietly explains the will-vs-trust gap.

Illinois wills generally require two credible witnesses at signing. Trusts follow different formalities. That procedural difference points to a bigger planning question: which process should your family rely on later? The right tool depends on facts, goals, and how each document is intended to work.

General information only — not legal advice.

08/15/2026

New parents make hundreds of decisions for their child.

But one of the most important decisions is often left unwritten: who should care for your child if something happens to you?

In Illinois, parents do not simply “appoint” a guardian on their own. They designate a guardian in writing, usually as part of an estate plan, and the court makes the final appointment.

That written designation matters.

It gives your family clear guidance, helps reduce confusion, and allows you to decide who should raise your child and who should manage any money left for them.

Our latest guide explains what Evanston and North Shore parents should know about guardianship, backup guardians, short-term guardians, children’s trusts, and beneficiary forms.

Read the full guide in the comments.

08/14/2026

You don't need an estate to need an estate plan.

Three words trip up nearly every first estate-planning conversation: estate, plan, beneficiary. Estate = what you own. Plan = who decides what, and when. Beneficiary = who receives what. None of these requires wealth — only a few honest decisions. The vocabulary comes first. The documents follow. General information only — not legal advice.

08/07/2026

Three questions before we draft a single page.

Most plans go sideways when the documents come before the questions.

Three questions usually do the work first: who speaks for you if you can’t, what you own and where it lives, and who depends on those answers.

Twenty quiet minutes here tends to shape a plan worth signing. The paperwork follows from there.

08/01/2026

One Illinois rule that quietly explains the will-vs-trust gap.

Illinois wills generally require two credible witnesses at signing. Trusts follow different formalities.

That procedural difference points to a bigger planning question: which process should your family rely on later?

The right tool depends on facts, goals, and how each document is intended to work.

General information only — not legal advice.

07/24/2026

Three questions tell you whether you need a will, a trust, or both.

Three questions usually settle the will-versus-trust debate faster than any chart can.

Does privacy matter to your family?

Is avoiding probate a real goal?

Do you want a plan that works during incapacity, not just after?

Your answers point to one tool, the other, or both. The decision isn’t binary—it’s a fit question.

Read the full comparison—link in the first comment.

07/17/2026

If you die without a will in Illinois, your family does not get to “just decide” who receives what.

Illinois law has default rules for that.

For many families, those rules can be surprising. A surviving spouse may not automatically inherit everything if there are children or grandchildren. Stepchildren and unmarried partners may not receive anything under the intestacy rules unless there is a valid plan in place.

Our latest guide explains what happens when someone dies without a will in Illinois, who inherits first, what “per stirpes” means, and why relying on the state’s default plan can create problems for real families.

Read the full guide in the comments.

07/16/2026