Free Estate and Tax Planning Workshop Planned in Alton

Wills, trusts, and tax basics — plus lunch and prizes — at The Wedge on May 8, 2026.

Apr 24, 2026 2:45 PM Apr 24, 2026 2:47 PM

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ALTON - An upcoming lunch and learn event aims to make estate and tax planning accessible, complete with free lunch, door prizes and plenty of information.

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At 12 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026, community members can stop by The Wedge in Alton for the lunch and learn with Stephens Planning and Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C. Fiduciary advisor Curtis Stephens and attorney Liz Heller will team up to share basic information about how to take care of your estate. They promise “a very relaxed environment” and door prizes that range from Cardinals tickets to gift cards at local restaurants.

“We want to make sure that the people that our clients love aren’t scrambling or guessing or, in the worst case, fighting about who gets what. And we all know that sometimes that happens,” Heller said. “We just want to educate people and help them start thinking about the process.”

The lunch and learn is completely free to attend, and attendees will receive a free meal while Stephens and Heller share information about estate planning. They noted that while it can be a difficult conversation, it’s important to be prepared.

There is “no obligation” and they aren’t interested in selling anything. Instead, they want to help people start to think about their options and decisions.

“This is for people that prefer education, not a sales pitch. We prefer people to come with their questions,” Stephens said. “Estate planning is a big part of people’s overall financial picture. It’s the legacy you leave. It’s for people that care about protecting themselves and their family in the future. People don’t want to burden their family with complex decisions. For anybody that has assets, property, owns a business — it’s for them.”

He noted that it was important to host this event because they care about making sure community members have the resources they need. Stephens Planning will also talk about tax minimization and other “simple tax strategies to be efficient.” As a fiduciary advisor, he wants to help his clients maximize their money and prepare for retirement.

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Heller will focus on the estate planning. She wants to help attendees get a basic understanding of how a will or trust can be useful and the importance of making sure these documents are updated and ready to go.

“Nobody likes to talk about death. Nobody likes to talk about the inability to make decisions. Typically, we know people make the mistake of thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll do it later,’ or, ‘I don’t have enough money to worry about it,’ or they might have done a will years and years ago. But things change,” she explained. “We want to make sure that we help our clients and prospective clients understand that, with proper planning, a lot of angst, attorneys’ fees, disputes, and courts telling you what to do can be avoided.”

The event on May 8 will answer attendees’ questions and provide some basic background on estate and tax planning to start that conversation.

Heller and Stephens hope to welcome many people at The Wedge, and they look forward to making these complicated concepts more accessible. Though it can be difficult to think about these topics, they believe it’s important, and they will do what they can to make it fun with lunch and prizes.

“Ultimately, we take complex concepts and strategies, and we boil it down into something simple that people can digest. We want everybody to leave with a nugget,” Stephens added. “Our goal is to just boil it down, keep it fun, keep it light, let people know, hey, we're here if you need us, and that's it. Just serve our community best we can.”

For more information or to reserve your seat, call 618-551-0028 or click here. To learn more about Stephens Planning, visit their official website. For more about Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., check out their official website.

This Featured Article is sponsored by Stephens Planning. To get your business or organization featured on www.Riverbender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.

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