Business Details
21 Years
experience
Your Trusted Partner for Estate and Business Legal Solutions
Waypoint Estate & Business Planning has served clients for over twenty years, specializing in estate and business planning. Our focus includes assisting families with special needs members, leveraging decades of experience to navigate complex legal landscapes. We collaborate with financial planners, accountants, and care professionals to create tailored solutions. Our founder, Donald G. Olsen, combines personal insight and professional expertise, having worked since 1989 in estate planning and tax law. We prioritize client education, asset protection, and long-term security, serving as trusted advisors in the Chicago metropolitan area. Services
Estate Planning
Elder Law
Medicaid Planning
Special Needs Trusts
Probate Administration
Business Formation
Guardianship Planning
Asset Protection
Will Drafting
Trust Administration
Details
- Year established: 2005
Highlights and features
- We offer 30+ years of combined legal expertise in estate and business planning.
- Our team specializes in special needs trust creation and Medicaid compliance strategies.
- We provide personalized guidance through complex probate and tax regulations.
- Our client-centered approach includes collaboration with financial and healthcare professionals.
- Founder Donald G. Olsen combines personal experience with legal expertise in special needs planning.
What people say
Professional and knowledgeable team
Peace of mind through planning
Exceptional special needs expertise
Responsive and thorough service
Compassionate legal guidance
Services
Estate Planning
We create customized estate plans to manage and transfer assets efficiently. Our services include wills, trusts, and power of attorney documents to ensure your wishes are honored. Clients receive guidance on minimizing tax liabilities and avoiding probate through strategic planning.
Special Needs Trusts
Our firm specializes in establishing special needs trusts to protect government benefits eligibility while providing financial security. We help families create legally sound structures that ensure long-term care for loved ones with disabilities without compromising public assistance programs.
Medicaid Planning
We develop strategies to qualify for Medicaid while preserving family assets. Our planning includes asset protection techniques and guidance on navigating complex healthcare benefit systems for nursing home care and home-based services.
Probate Administration
Our team guides executors through the probate process, handling asset inventory, debt settlement, and distribution of inheritances. We provide legal support for will validation, tax filings, and court proceedings to ensure efficient estate closure.
Business Formation
We assist entrepreneurs in establishing LLCs, corporations, and partnerships with proper legal frameworks. Services include drafting operating agreements, trademark protection, and contract review to support business growth and compliance.
People
Donald G. Olsen
Principal Attorney
Founder of Waypoint Estate & Business Planning since 2005, Donald Olsen specializes in estate planning and special needs law. With experience since 1989, he combines legal expertise with personal insight as a parent of a child with autism.
Questions
What documents are essential for basic estate planning?
A will, durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, and revocable living trust are fundamental for comprehensive estate planning to manage asset distribution and incapacity.
How can Medicaid planning protect assets?
Medicaid planning employs legal strategies like irrevocable trusts and asset transfers to preserve wealth while qualifying for long-term care benefits without impoverishing family members.
What distinguishes special needs trusts from regular trusts?
Special needs trusts maintain government benefit eligibility by structuring distributions for supplemental needs without affecting Medicaid or SSI eligibility requirements.
What happens if someone dies without a will?
Intestate succession laws determine asset distribution, potentially leading to unintended beneficiaries and prolonged probate without personalized estate planning documents.
How does business succession planning work?
We create transition strategies for business owners including buy-sell agreements, leadership transfers, and tax-efficient ownership changes to ensure continuity across generations.
