The David Frank Law Group

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Northbrook, IL
The David Frank Law Group

Law firm specializing in Residential/Commercial Real Estate & Estate Planning (Trusts, Wills, & POAs)

- Represent both buyers and sellers in residential and commercial transactions
- Perform Tax appeals to help reduce your tax burden
- Available 7 days a week

08/28/2026

Missing David on the golf course lately? There’s a reason. ⛳

It’s been a banner year at David Frank Law Group, and David has spent a lot more time at the closing table than on the first tee.

We’re incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us, whether you’ve referred your clients, worked with us on a transaction, or trusted us with the purchase or sale of your own home.

Thank you for keeping us busy. David’s golf game may be suffering, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

08/26/2026

Your estate plan says what should happen.

A Letter of Intent can help explain why.

A Letter of Intent, sometimes called a side letter, is a non-binding document that gives your executor or trustee additional guidance about your wishes, priorities, and values.

For example, you might use it to explain:

• How you hope money held in trust for your child will be used
• The values you want your trustee to consider when making decisions
• Why one beneficiary may receive more or less than another
• Your thoughts on education, housing, major purchases, or other financial support
• Family circumstances that may not make sense just by reading the legal documents

Think of it as context for the people who will eventually be making decisions on your behalf.

How often should you update it?

Your Letter of Intent should grow and change as your family does. Revisit it when:

• You get married or divorced
• A child or grandchild is born
• Your children become adults, get married, or have children of their own
• Your financial circumstances change
• Family relationships change
• You simply change your mind

A good rule of thumb: Whenever a major life event makes you review your estate plan, review your Letter of Intent too.

Because a Letter of Intent generally isn't legally binding, you typically don't need an attorney to make every small update. But it should never contradict your will or trust. If you're making significant changes to your wishes, particularly about how assets should be distributed or how a trustee should exercise discretion, have your estate planning attorney review both.

And don't forget the simplest detail: Make sure someone can find it.

Keep your Letter of Intent with your estate planning documents and make sure your executor or trustee knows where those documents are located.

Your estate plan provides the legal instructions. Your Letter of Intent can provide the story behind them.

Have you included one in your estate plan?

We're here to help. Send us a message.

08/21/2026

You love your child. You want to leave them an inheritance.

You also know that if they received a large sum of money tomorrow, it might not last very long.

Maybe they struggle with budgeting. Maybe they have significant debt. Maybe they make impulsive financial decisions. Or maybe you simply aren't comfortable handing them a large inheritance with no guardrails.

Does that mean you have to leave them out of your estate plan?

Absolutely not.

A properly structured trust can allow you to provide for your adult child while putting protections around how and when they receive their inheritance.

Depending on your goals and circumstances, you may be able to:

• Distribute the inheritance over time. Instead of receiving everything at once, your child could receive portions at certain ages or according to a schedule you establish.

• Keep assets in trust. Rather than requiring the entire inheritance to eventually be distributed, assets can potentially remain in trust for your child's benefit.

• Appoint a trustee to manage the money. You can choose a trusted person or professional to oversee the assets and make distributions according to the terms you've established.

• Allow distributions for specific needs. A trust can be drafted to provide funds for things like health care, education, housing, or other expenses while limiting unrestricted access to the principal.

• Build in additional protections. Depending on how the trust is structured and administered, keeping inherited assets in trust may provide protection from certain creditors, lawsuits, or divorce.

And your plan doesn't have to treat every child exactly the same way.

One child may be perfectly capable of managing an inheritance outright. Another may benefit from having additional safeguards in place. Your estate plan can account for those differences.

It's crucial to think carefully about how to give your hard-earned assets the best chance of benefiting your loved ones for years to come.

Estate Planning for Real Life Families is our series addressing the questions families sometimes hesitate to ask.

Have a "What if?" you'd like us to cover next? Leave it in the comments or send us a message.

08/19/2026

Cook County Second Installment tax bills are out.

If you have an upcoming Cook County closing, it’s time to take another look at the numbers.

The 2025 Second Installment property tax bills are due October 1, 2026.

Here’s what we recommend agents do now:

• Update closing figures for upcoming Cook County closings.

• Re-prorate taxes on transactions with reproration agreements. Now that the actual bill is available, those calculations may need adjustment.

• Check the exemptions. Make sure any exemptions your client is entitled to are actually reflected on the bill.

A new tax bill can change the numbers on a transaction, so don’t rely on calculations made before the Second Installment bills were issued.

Have a Cook County closing coming up? Send it our way. We’ll make sure the tax figures are handled correctly.

08/13/2026

Prepare for the future. Does your child’s school make the grade? 🎓

If your child is getting ready to move on to junior high or high school, you may already be thinking about what comes next.

We took a look at current GreatSchools ratings to find some of the top-rated public schools in Chicago and the suburbs.

5 Top-Rated Junior High / Middle Schools

📚 Decatur Classical School — Chicago — 10/10
📚 Audubon Elementary School — Chicago — 10/10
📚 Old Quarry Middle School — Lemont — 10/10
📚 Northbrook Junior High School — Northbrook — 9/10
📚 Daniel Wright Jr. High School — Lincolnshire — 9/10

5 Top-Rated High Schools

🎓 Northside College Prep — Chicago — 10/10
🎓 Hancock College Prep — Chicago — 10/10
🎓 Glenbrook North High School — Northbrook — 10/10
🎓 Deerfield High School — Deerfield — 10/10
🎓 Barrington High School — Barrington — 10/10

Of course, a rating is only one piece of choosing the right school for your child. Programs, extracurriculars, commute, community and your child’s individual needs all matter, too.

Thinking about changing school districts?

A move may be part of the plan. We work with great real estate agents throughout Chicago and the suburbs and would be happy to connect you with someone who knows the area you’re considering.

Send us a message and we’ll make an introduction.

Source: GreatSchools. Ratings checked August 2026 and are subject to change. School boundaries and enrollment requirements should always be verified directly with the applicable school or district. Some Chicago schools have selective or magnet admissions and are not determined solely by residence.

08/11/2026

The Dog Days of Summer are almost over, and Wrigley would like to file a formal complaint. 🐶☀️

Mostly because he assumed the entire season was named after him.

Turns out, the Dog Days of Summer—traditionally July 3 through August 11—have nothing to do with dogs.

The name comes from Sirius, the “Dog Star,” the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. Ancient Greeks and Romans noticed Sirius rising with the sun during the hottest part of the year and believed it was helping turn up the heat.

We now know Sirius has nothing to do with Chicago’s summer temperatures.

Wrigley remains unconvinced.

Either way, the Dog Days are coming to an end, so enjoy these last few weeks of summer while you can.

08/07/2026

Summer is not over yet, and there are still plenty of free concerts happening across Chicagoland. Save this list and plan a night out before the season ends:

📍CHICAGO

Millennium Park
August 10, 12, 14, 15 and 23
Chicago House Music Festival: August 27–30
Chicago Jazz Festival: September 3–6

Navy Pier
August 9
Live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through September 7

📍 NORTHERN SUBURBS

Skokie
Sunday, August 9 at 6 p.m.

Morton Grove
Tuesday, August 11 and Tuesday, August 18

Vernon Hills
Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m.

📍 NORTHWESTERN SUBURBS

Arlington Heights
Every Thursday at 7 p.m. through August 27

Des Plaines
August 13 and August 19 at 7 p.m.

Schaumburg
Every Saturday at 7 p.m. through August 29

Rosemont
Every Thursday at 7 p.m. through August 27
Plus Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m.

Which concerts are you adding to your calendar?
Check our blog for performer and location details: https://www.thedavidfranklawgroup.com/blog/chicago-free-concerts

Concert schedules may change due to weather. Check the official event page before heading out.

08/05/2026

It’s block party season! ☀️🏡

A great block party does more than fill the street. It gives neighbors a chance to meet, reconnect, and build a stronger community.

Here's our top 10 ideas to make yours a success:

🚒 Ask whether the local fire department can stop by
🧁 Host a bake-off or chili cook-off
🐾 Organize a neighborhood pet parade
🚲 Set up a bike-decorating station and parade
🎸 Invite a local band, including the neighborhood dad band
🎤 Break out the karaoke machine
🎬 End the evening with an outdoor movie
🏆 Plan classic games for kids and adults
📸 Create a simple neighborhood photo backdrop
🧊 Set up water stations, shade, and plenty of seating

P.S. 📋 Remember to apply for your permit early and review your municipality’s requirements

What makes your neighborhood block party memorable? Did we miss anything? Share your best ideas in the comments!

08/04/2026

Do you know the hidden costs of not having a trust?

A Last Will and Testament provides instructions for what should happen after you pass away. But, if assets remain in your individual name without a beneficiary designation or another method of transfer, your family may still need to open a probate proceeding to carry out said instructions.

Here is what that can cost in Illinois:

• $479 just to open a probate estate in Cook County
• Approximately $100 to $500 for the required newspaper notices
• Approximately $3,000 to $7,000 in attorney fees for a routine, uncontested administration
• Approximately $5,000 to $12,000 in total probate costs for many uncontested estates

Illinois does not set a fixed percentage for probate attorney or executor fees. The law allows “reasonable compensation,” so costs depend on the work involved. Bond premiums, appraisals, accounting, tax preparation, real estate issues, missing records, creditor claims, or disagreements among beneficiaries can push the total much higher.

There is also the time involved. Illinois requires notice to creditors and a claims period of at least six months from the first publication. Even a relatively straightforward probate case can take many months to complete.

A properly created and funded trust can allow assets to pass outside probate. That can provide several important benefits:

• Faster access to assets for your family
• Greater privacy because probate court records are generally public
• More control over when and how beneficiaries receive an inheritance
• Protection for minor children or beneficiaries who may need financial guidance
• A plan for managing trust assets if you become incapacitated

A trust is not automatically the right answer for every person, and simply signing one is not enough. Your assets must be coordinated with the trust for the plan to work as intended.

Estate planning should be based on what your family owns, how those assets are titled, and what you want to happen if you become incapacitated or pass away.

Contact David Frank Law Group to schedule a consultation and learn whether a trust should be part of your estate plan.

07/31/2026

What a season!
It's been a huge seller's market and we're having flashbacks from 2020!

What's been your experience?
Reach out or comment below 👇

Address

3400 Dundee Road Suite 320
Northbrook, IL
60062

Telephone

+17732556499

Website

http://thedavidfranklawgroup.com/

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