Wealth and Law

Brent chats with Elizabeth Garlovsky about the ways trusts can be used in prenuptial agreements and divorce. They talk about structuring the trusts, common issues, and the results divorce can have on revocable and irrevocable trusts. Elizabeth (“Lizzy”) Garlovsky represents clients in matters related to estate planning and wealth transfer, probate, and estate and trust administration. She brings over 25 years of combined experience in private practice, the public sector, and as a wealth advisor for JPMorgan. Lizzy assists clients in preparing and implementing estate plans for a wide range of individuals and families. She also helps both individual and corporate fiduciaries administer trusts and estates at any stage, including through controversies both inside and outside of court. In addition, Lizzy frequently counsels heirs, legatees, and beneficiaries of estates and trusts of all sizes to advocate for their rights under will and trust documents or when no documents exist. In addition to her technical background and practical experience, Lizzy brings a unique holistic and human approach to every client matter through empathy and a commitment to understanding each client’s individual – and often very personal –situation before engaging in any representation. She recognizes the difficulty that clients routinely face when engaging a trusts and estates attorney, especially when emotions are high, and she is grateful for opportunities to make the difficult seem simpler for clients who are experiencing stress caused by trauma or grief, or by the anticipation of either. Lizzy is an active member of the trusts and estates community, and her community at large. She is a Fellow of the prestigious national American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and is a member of their Fiduciary Litigation and Practice Committees. She also serves as the State Membership Recruitment Director for Illinois. Lizzy is a frequent lecturer and author on a wide range of trust and estate topics. She enjoys giving back to her peers by mentoring junior colleagues, both inside and outside of the firm. She served as an appointed Advisory Member of the Trust and Investment Committee for the Board of Directors of Chicago-based ATG Trust Company (acquired by Midland Trust Company) from January 2020 through May 2021 and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She is also a member of the Goodman Theater’s Spotlight Advisory Council. Lizzy provides pro bono legal services and supports related organizations and activities. She performs estate planning and related legal services for under-served individuals in her community and acts as a resource to various charitable organizations. In addition, from 2017 to 2021, Lizzy served as an elected member of the Board of Education for Township High School District 113 (Illinois). She served as President of the Board from May 2018 to May 2020, and served on the Board’s Policy Committee, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee. Lizzy can be found here: Elizabeth A. Garlovsky – Harrison LLP This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about various income tax considerations that arise in estate planning and are more important now with a $15 million estate tax exemption. He talks about retirement accounts, real estate, partnership interests, and shares in corporations. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about portability and how it needs to fit within broader planning considerations, including income tax, estate tax, generation-skipping transfer tax, and overall structure. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about where attorney-client privilege begins, ends, and unexpectedly disappears. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about how trusts may actually be the best IRA beneficiaries now. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about what lawyers and advisers should hear when clients ask for “simple” estate plans. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about the ways that beneficiary designations can quietly, and unintentionally, override carefully drafted documents. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats about why an unfunded trust is often a fixable planning gap and not an estate planning disaster. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to https://wealthandlaw.com/team/. Legal Disclaimer: https://wealthandlaw.com/legal-disclaimer/

Brent chats with Gary Fletcher about the upcoming FinCEN non-financed real estate transfer reports. The reports will make many professionals, including lawyers, subject to reporting obligations on many real estate transfers. This would reach into routine estate planning transfers. Brent and Gary discuss the details of the program, what transfers are caught in its net, and what to expect.

Brent chats with Elizabeth Garlovsky about the unique challenges in representing married clients. They discuss some of the ethical considerations, including how to handle conflicts, when financial goals do not align, and ways to navigate topics like divorce.

Brent chats with Natalie Perry about how non-grantor trusts can be used for income tax planning. They discuss the non-grantor trust tax rules, and how these trusts can be used to same both state and federal income tax by moving liquid assets to no tax states, using charitable deductions, and stacking qualified small business stock.

Brent chats with Jenny Rozelle about what opportunities await law students interested in estate planning. They talk about their law school journey, Jenny's non-traditional entry into estate planning, the market and financial opportunities, and practicing in large or small communities.

Brent chats with Anna N'Jie Konte about what financial planning moves people should consider before the end of 2025. They talk about contributing to retirement plans and determining whether to make Roth conversions. They also discuss tax loss harvesting, charitable giving, and other tax sensitive options for planning.

Brent chats with T.J. Ryan about important terms to make your trusts better. In this second part of that conversation, they discuss the importance of crafting the distribution provisions of a trust. They get into powers of appointment, spendthrift clauses, and what to do to anticipate incapacitated beneficiaries. T.J. is a Senior Partner at the […]

Brent chats with Eric Freeman about the real estate provisions in OBBBA. They talk about the importance of bonus depreciation, Opportunity Zone 2.0, New Market Tax Credits, and analyze what the industry could look like under this new tax regime.

Brent and John Strohmeyer chat about sham trust schemes. They explain what the structures and hoped for results are and then break down why they do not work. They also speculate about why people buy these schemes.

Brent chats with Naomita Yadav about the tax and planning challenges of high-net-worth individuals migrating to the United States. They talk about global mobility, how tax can cause unexpected issues, and how one might plan for that transition effectively.

Brent chats with Michael Preis, Chief Investment Officer at TCI Wealth Advisors, about how federal policy in the United States can affect investment strategies. They talk about the importance of planning and how a client focused approach is different from just pure asset allocation. Finally, they talk about crypto and where it fits into the current investment landscape

Brent chats with Tony Yu about the important differences between China, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam from a cultural, monetary, and planning perspective. They discuss how to adjust to those differences, understand where they may be coming from, and enjoy the rich tapestry of those nations.

Brent chats about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and its impact on estate planning for ultra-high net worth families. He gets into the increased estate tax exemption, tactics for using and managing high exemptions, opportunity zones, and the increases to qualified small business stock exemption, and the SALT cap, among other things.