Is the marriage penalty actually a big deal for a Chicago couple?

For two mid-to-high W-2 incomes in Chicago, the federal marriage penalty alone can run into five figures a year. It's not the reason to marry or not marry — it's a real cost that should be planned around, not discovered.

Do you work with couples who aren't married?

Yes. Many LGBTQ+ couples are intentionally not married, or are still deciding. Planning for unmarried partners has extra weight around beneficiary designations, healthcare and financial powers of attorney, cohabitation agreements, and estate documents — because the legal defaults do a lot less lifting than they do for spouses.

Can we start with just one of us and add the partner later?

You can, but for couples planning we strongly encourage both partners to be part of the engagement from the start. Financial plans that quietly become one person's project are the plans that don't hold up long-term.

LGBTQ+ couple in Chicago reviewing same-sex couples financial planning decisions

Same-Sex Couples Planning · Chicago

Financial planning for same-sex couples in Chicago

Chicago dual-income couples in finance, law, consulting, and Big Four routinely hit the federal marriage penalty on top of Illinois's flat state tax. Deferred bonuses, partner-track K-1 income, and RSUs across two careers should be sequenced together — the coordination is where most of the recoverable tax lives.

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Why this practice exists

Why same-sex couples in Chicago deserve their own plan

Aequitas is fee-only, fiduciary, and virtual-first — so a Chicago household gets the same senior planner and the same integrated plan regardless of where in the metro they live. The plan is built once, and everything (tax, cash flow, estate, investing) is coordinated inside it, not by handing you off to three separate specialists.

Most generic advisors in Chicago treat same-sex couples financial planning as an afterthought — a form to fill out once the "real" plan is done. That's backwards for LGBTQ+ households, where the local tax and legal picture is often the biggest single lever in the plan.

Same-Sex Couples Financial Planning isn't a side specialty here. It's part of the practice, alongside the Chicago city plan it rolls up into.

What we plan with Chicago same-sex couples

Marriage-penalty modeling before you file

Real numbers — MFJ vs. MFS, phaseouts, AMT, and NIIT exposure — modeled before tax season so you know what you're walking into, not what you found out about after.

Two-benefits-package coordination

Whose health plan, HSA, 401(k) match, and equity-comp calendar to lean on — decided by math, not habit. Small choices here often compound into tens of thousands over a career.

Joint vs. separate finances (on purpose)

There's no universally right answer. The plan should reflect how you actually want to run your household — and make the tradeoffs (control, transparency, protection) explicit instead of accidental.

Family-planning cash flow when it's real

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

Same-sex partners planning together in Chicago

Related planning pages

LGBTQ+ financial advisor in Chicago
The city-wide overview: how Aequitas works with Chicago LGBTQ+ households across everything — cash flow, tax, investing, and estate.
Surrogacy Financial Planning in Chicago
The Chicago sibling page for surrogacy financial planning — same city context, different specialty.
LGBTQ+ Estate Planning in Chicago
The Chicago sibling page for lgbtq+ estate planning — same city context, different specialty.
Financial planning for same-sex couples (nationwide)
Joint vs. separate finances, taxes, benefits, and equity-comp coordination for LGBTQ+ couples across the US.
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FAQ

Same-Sex Couples Financial Planning FAQs — Chicago

About the advisor

Aequitas Financial was founded by Taylor Bell, a fee-only fiduciary planner. LGBTQ+ planning isn't a side specialty here — it's the practice.

Ready to get started?

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.

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