Curt W. Ferguson grew up on a farm and his heart never really left.  Curt and Sam are sometimes called “The Farmers’ Estate Planning Attorneys.” Curt has been helping farm families develop and maintain plans to carry out their estate transfer and preservation objectives for more than 20 years.  He shares his experience with the agricultural community in the monthly Estate-Plan Edge™ column in Illinois’ premiere farm publication, the Prairie Farmer®. 

Estate planning is never a one-size-fits-all proposition, and keeping a farm in the family requires especially unique, targeted strategies. You can't follow the same simplistic approach as someone who has just "cash investments" to pass on. Even farm life is unique, and carries certain values that city folks just can't understand. It is important to work with professionals who can relate to your world.

When we help your family design your plan, you will start with no limits on your creativity. Who should be able to operate the farm? Who will get the benefit of land ownership? Can they sell the land before they have had a reasonable time to see the steady income it can provide? If any heir sells, should the others have the right to buy them out? Do you want to give anything directly to your grandchildren, maybe to fund their college education? How about your church or other worthy causes you believe in? If you are married and your spouse survives, what about a ‘gold-digger’ who might marry for money? If your heirs get sued, would you like to protect the inheritance from the lawsuit? If a child gets divorced, can the in-law have anything? How much or little control should each heir receive?

You may be asking, “how do we avoid estate taxes?” Of course you don’t want to leave your farm to ‘Uncle Sam’! Once we know what your objectives are—who should get what, when and how—we can determine whether estate taxes are an issue at all.  If so, we have the process, the knowledge and the experience it takes to help you transfer your estate—whether it is worth $1,000,000 or $100,000,000—without estate taxes. Minimizing or avoiding both state and federal estate taxes can be an extremely complex task on a large estate.  We can help you take the steps required to move maximum family wealth, legally, efficiently and safely to future generations.

We believe that your real legacy is much more than the property you will leave.  We will help you develop your complete legacy, addressing equally important—perhaps the most important—issues of passing on the family heritage, stories, values and wisdom.