Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Illinois

I would advise against doing either. If you state a reason for a gift, the beneficiary can sue your Estate for slander if you say something nasty (or something that you don't think is nasty, but could be interpreted as such). Also, if you want them to be present for the reading of the Will, my guess is that you want to insult them. I would not advise any of this.

Feel free to call me for a free consultation. I'd be happy to discuss this further.

You can, I suppose, but what purpose would be served? Is it really how you want to be remembered? In my many years of practice, I have never seen, or even heard of, a "reading of the will." This is a Hollywood drama mechanism. It may have been done in the past, when fewer people were able to read, but it is certainly long, long gone, since most people can read for themselves these days. However, if my college professor friend is correct about the lack of basic educational skills in the current crop of freshman, it may be coming back soon.