A comprehensive estate plan can help you manage and grow your assets, protect you and your loved ones while you are here, and provide for those loved ones when you are gone. Given the important role your estate plan plays in your life and the lives of your loved ones, choosing the right estate planning attorney to assist you create your plan should be a priority. At the law firm of Amen, Gantner, & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. we would be honored to help you with your estate planning needs. Our office has been helping people just like you in Granite City, and the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, for many years with their estate planning needs and we would be honored to help you with yours.
The History of Granite City
Granite City, Illinois was one of many planned “company cities” that sprang up during the middle to late 1800s following the Industrial Revolution. A company city was a city that was intentionally planned and constructed in order to house workers for a large company. In the case of Granite City, it was German immigrant brothers Frederick G. and William Niedringhaus who needed housing for their Granite ware kitchen supplies factory. In 1891 the brother purchased 3,500 acres that extended from the Mississippi River across the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. In 1896 this land was incorporated as Granite City, Illinois where the brothers required their employees to purchase homes financed by Niedringhaus mortgages. During the first decade of the 20th century, Granite City grew considerably, with over 10,000 immigrants pouring in from Hungary, Macedonia, and Bulgaria alone in one two year period.
Granite City Today
Growth in Granite City slowed considerably after the initial influx of immigrants that occurred during the first decade of the 20th century. Today, approximately 30,000 people call Granite City home. The city’s location just ten miles northeast of St. Louis makes it a popular suburb of the larger city. Residents are also able to make use of the benefits and conveniences offered by a large city while still enjoying the peace and quiet of small town life. Outdoor activities are abundant in Granite City with 13 city parks available to residents. Each year, around July 4, Wilson Park hosts the Patriots in the Park program which includes live entertainment, carriage rides, carnival rides, food & beverage stands, and the second largest fireworks display in the St. Louis area. Water sports and activities are also popular with residents and visitors alike given the city’s proximity to the Mississippi River as well as numerous lakes and smaller rivers.
Amen, Gantner, & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. in the Granite City Community
The attorneys and staff at Amen, Gantner, & Capriano are active members of the St. Louis metropolitan area community, including Granite City. In fact, many of us are lifelong residents. Founding partner Charlie Amen and his wife, for example, are both natives of South St. Louis county and graduates of Lindbergh High. Both of the firms other partners, Paul Gantner and Jacquelynn Capriano are also natives and lifetime residents of the area. We do not just work in the community, we are invested in the growth and prosperity of the Granite City community as well.
At Amen, Gantner, & Capriano we made the decision a long time ago to develop a law practice that addresses the issues that we feel are most important to the people in our community. With that in mind, we chose to focus our practice on estate planning as we believe that nothing is more important than providing for loved ones, both now and in the future. Knowing what a highly personal process estate planning is, we also believe in developing ongoing relationships within the community and with our clients so that our clients feel comfortable discussing their sensitive and personal legal issues with us.
Moreover, estate planning is a lifelong process. Your estate plan should be comprehensive in nature and should be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect the phases of your life and the events that mark those phases. Your plan should also be individualized to include components that apply to you and your specific needs, such as special needs planning, business succession planning, or pet planning. Initially, your estate plan might focus on the basics, such as asset protection and financial planning. As you marry and become a parent, your plan may need to be revisited and updated to include issues that impact parents with minor children. Incapacity planning, for instance, might take on a heightened importance. As you begin to contemplate retirement, your estate plan may need to be reviewed again and modified to include retirement planning, Medicaid planning, and even funeral planning. Finally, you may wish to consider the addition of legacy planning techniques that will help you pass down your faith and your ideals to future generations. The team at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC will be with you throughout your life’s journey, making sure your estate plan reflects where you are in life and what your needs and goals are at each stage of your journey.
Contact An Experienced Estate Planning Attorney Serving Granite City Today
If you have estate planning questions or concerns, or would like to get started creating your estate plan, contact the experienced Granite City, Illinois estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC by calling (314) 966-8077 to schedule an appointment.
