Nash Bean Ford & Brown, LLP, a law firm with a focus on estate planning, is pleased to announce the addition of attorney JohnPatrick Brown. Mr. Brown will work out of the Moline and Geneseo offices of the firm. Mr. Brown was admitted to the bar in 2017. He is licensed to practice in Illinois and Iowa state and federal courts. He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Iowa, and his Juris Doctor from the University … [Read more...]

GENESEO, January 2017 – Nash Bean Ford and Brown, LLP is excited to announce that attorney Mary Ann Brown has been made a Partner of the law firm. “We are very excited to welcome Mary Ann as a partner in the firm” stated attorney Curt Ford. “Her ability to help connect with clients and help them through very difficult situations is a valuable resource we can offer our clients. Further, her knowledge and background in Elder Law have in the past, and will continue to give the firm the ability to … [Read more...]

Recently, we were made aware of a letter by a client that received in an "official-looking" envelope.  The form inside contained their name, address, purchase date and property ID number for the house they recently put into their trust. Although there was a statement in the report that the sender was "not affiliated with the county in which your deed is filed nor with any government agencies", the detachable billing may mislead people to believe they must pay them in order to research and … [Read more...]

Following his formal swearing-in ceremony at the Rock Island County Courthouse, Ben Young officially became the newest attorney at Nash Bean Ford & Brown, LLP. A recent graduate of Valparaiso University Law School, Ben joined the firm in August. He previously served as an intern with the firm. Ben is also a graduate of Bradley University, Peoria, and Geneseo High School. He and his wife, Abby, live in Atkinson, Illinois. Congratulations on your achievement and welcome to the firm! … [Read more...]

In case you haven’t heard, the New Year brought a new law recently signed by the President. To avoid the country from falling off the “fiscal cliff,” the “American Taxpayer Relief Act” was approved on New Year’s Day. The approval and signing of this new law may affect the future of your estate plan and your estate taxes. Regarding federal estate taxes, this new law makes almost all of the previous tax provisions, commonly known as ”TRA 2010,” permanent, with the exception of the tax rate. This … [Read more...]

There are only a few days left before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st and the tax law changes. Or will it? As of this writing, the law to which it will change will be the pre-EGTRRA/TRA law. In other words, currently in 2012, individuals with estates under $5.12 million are not subject to federal gift or estate tax. However, if this law expires, estates larger than $1 million will become taxable at the beginning of 2013 and we will back to a $1 million applicable exclusion per … [Read more...]

Jim Nash and Bob Nash recently attended the national education summit on estate planning matters. … [Read more...]

Over the course of three weeks in August and September, nearly 500 people attended three Client Appreciation events, held this year at Sencia's Oak Ridge Golf Club, LaSalle and Lavender Crest Winery, Colona. Created especially for our clients, our 2012 Client Appreciation Event outlined estate planning changes, updates and reminders, all through the lens of our new Social Media program! The evening began with a full, classic meal followed by a presentation sharing how our new Social Media … [Read more...]

Curt Ford, a partner with Nash Bean Ford and Brown, recently was interviewed by WQAD, Moline, Illinois, for its story on employers asking job candidates for their Facebook or other social media log-ins to review their pages. Curt noted that while it is not yet illegal in our area, employers could put themselves at risk of lawsuits when asking for passwords or access to the social media sites. To watch the entire news story, visit … [Read more...]

“Dirty Dozen”: IRS releases top 2012 Tax Scams It’s two months to tax day and as the IRS begins to process returns, it is on the look-out for the top tax scams, and reminding taxpayers to protect themselves against bogus tax activities ranging from identity theft to misleading charitable donations. Making this year’s IRS “Dirty Dozen” tax scams are: ·         Identity theft - As identity thieves continue their attempt to use a taxpayer’s personal information to file a fake tax return and gain … [Read more...]