When the IRS examines your return and makes adjustments, it must send a notice to inform the taxpayer of these actions. From here, the taxpayer has several options: Ignore the notice. This is not truly an option as it can have terrible financial consequences. Accept and pay the adjustment. This is a personal choice, and  … Read more

When people think of prenuptial agreements, their minds often wander to celebrities, to famous billionaires, and to professional athletes. In other words, they believe that it is not for them. However, in my twenty years of practicing law, I have seen many people surprised to find that prenuptial agreements actually make sense for them. What  … Read more

As an American taxpayer, you have legal rights. It may seem that the IRS is an all-powerful agency with the power to tell you what you owe, and then to collect on that; however, know that the IRS is not foolproof. Simply put, the people who examine and audit your taxes are human beings, and  … Read more

Your estate plan matters. It matters for your peace of mind and it matters for your family’s security. Unfortunately, some people fall into a trap when it comes to estate planning. This is the trap of relying on cheap online forms and services and attempting a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. While it is true that there  … Read more

Illinois courts are authorized to order spousal maintenance in lawsuits involving divorces or legal separations. A court’s discretion is broad and a court can order maintenance “in amounts and for periods of time as the court deems just” so long as it expressly considers a variety of relevant factors and follows statutory guidelines. However, people’s  … Read more

Part of responsibly planning for the future must involve what happens if you should become incapacitated or disabled to the point where you cannot competently make decisions for yourself. A power of attorney is a document designed to address this possibility, and Illinois law allows a person to name an “agent”, who has the power  … Read more

Any letter or notice from the IRS can send shivers up a person’s spine. It is incredibly important to first take some deep breaths, then to read the notice carefully. No matter what you do, do NOT ever ignore an IRS notice, as the consequences can be dire. One of the many enforcement powers that  … Read more

The IRS has a very high win rate when it comes to trials in tax court. A big reason for this is that the IRS is very selective in the cases that it brings to trial. The agency is selective because the IRS cares about its reputation. A lot. There is a good reason for  … Read more

Last year, it was publicly revealed that one of the major consumer credit reporting agencies, Equifax, had been hacked. As a result of this, the personal information of more than 145 million Americans was stolen, presumably for sale to identity thieves and other criminals. This was a terrible, major breach and is expected to result  … Read more

It finally happened. After years of campaign promises and an endless news cycle, the Federal tax bill has come to fruition. Regardless of which side of the political fence you might sit, the tax bill is sweeping and will affect all individuals and businesses in the country. It is therefore important to understand just what  … Read more