We own a two-flat and rent the other unit. What are we missing?

Usually the depreciation and the allocation. You depreciate the rental portion over 27.5 years, which shelters rental income now and gets recaptured as income when you sell whether or not you claimed it. Expenses split between personal and rental use by square footage. And confirm your policy is a landlord-appropriate form — a standard homeowners policy may not cover a tenant loss.

I own a small business here. What's the highest-leverage move?

The retirement plan, almost always. A solo 401(k) lets you contribute as employee and employer, which shelters far more than a SEP-IRA at the same profit. Once you have employees, a safe-harbor 401(k) or SIMPLE becomes the comparison. After that: the S-corp reasonable-compensation analysis and making sure you're capturing the QBI deduction.

Do we have to live in Andersonville to work with Aequitas?

No. Aequitas is fee-only and virtual-first — we work with LGBTQ+ households in Andersonville the same way we work with clients across Chicago and the rest of the US. This page is written for the Andersonville demographic, not as a residency requirement.

Is there a minimum account size?

No asset minimum. Engagements are priced based on planning complexity, not portfolio size, so we can work with LGBTQ+ high earners still building wealth — not just clients who already have it.

What happens on the intro call?

Twenty minutes, video or phone. We ask what you're actually trying to figure out, share how Aequitas would approach it, and decide together whether an engagement makes sense. No pressure, no product pitch.

LGBTQ+ couple in Andersonville, Chicago reviewing their financial plan

Chicago · Andersonville

LGBTQ+ financial planning for Andersonville

Kids, a greystone, two careers, and Illinois's real estate-tax teeth. The plan should hold all of it.

Schedule a free intro call 20 minutes · video or phone · no product pitch

Quick answer

Is there a financial advisor for LGBTQ+ households in Andersonville?

Yes. Aequitas Financial is a fee-only fiduciary practice serving LGBTQ+ professionals, couples, and families in Andersonville and across Chicago. Meetings are virtual, there is no asset minimum or commission, and plans are built around IL tax, titling, and chosen-family protections.

Source: CFP Board — Code of Ethics & Standards of Conduct

Who this is for

Built for Andersonville LGBTQ+ households

Andersonville has one of the largest two-mom family communities in the Midwest — walkable, community-oriented, and anchored by Clark Street. Greystones, 2-flats, and single-family homes.

Family-planning cash flow (IVF / surrogacy / adoption) has never been modeled honestly.
Illinois's $4M estate exemption without portability is a real long-term ceiling.
No 529 open yet or under-funded.
Second-parent adoption is still open.

On the ground

Andersonville: ownership, small business, and long horizons

Andersonville has a long-standing LGBTQ+ community with an unusually high rate of homeownership and small-business ownership — vintage two-flats and greystones, shops and practices along Clark Street. The two-flat is worth planning around specifically: owner-occupied with a rental unit above or below, it's both a home and a business, with depreciation on the rental portion, allocated expenses, and recapture waiting at sale.

For business owners, the levers are the entity choice, a solo 401(k) or a safe-harbor plan once there are employees, and the qualified business income deduction, now permanent. For everyone here, the Cook County property tax assessment cycle deserves attention — assessments are appealable, exemptions must be claimed, and a successful appeal compounds over the years it applies.

How we help Andersonville households

Family-planning cash flow

IVF, surrogacy, adoption, and second-parent adoption modeled into your real cash flow so building a family isn't paused indefinitely or financed on hope.

Illinois estate-tax bypass structure

Illinois's estate-tax exemption is $4M with no spousal portability. For long-partnered couples with a house, a 401(k), and life insurance, that ceiling arrives faster than you think — we build the trust structure that keeps it from becoming a problem.

529s, life insurance, and the two-parent stack

Education funding, term coverage sized to what your family actually needs, and legal parentage locked down in every state you might travel through.

Next step

Go deeper, or just talk to us

Skim the broader context if you want more before reaching out — or book the call and we'll cover it live.

LGBTQ+ financial advisor in Chicago

The city-wide overview: how Aequitas works with Chicago LGBTQ+ households across cash flow, tax, investing, and estate.

LGBTQ+ tax & cost-of-living guide: Chicago

State income tax, property tax, estate tax, and LGBTQ+ planning overlays specific to Chicago.

Schedule Your Intro Call

FAQ

Andersonville planning FAQs

This page is part of our wider guide to LGBTQ+ financial planning — how fee-only, fiduciary planning works for queer households, and which topic to start with.

Ready to talk through your plan?

On a free intro call we'll walk through where you are, what you're trying to figure out, and whether an engagement makes sense — no pressure.

Schedule Your Intro Call