A Missouri Beneficiary Deed that Failed
A good friend and client just became the victim of a poorly conceived Estate Plan involving a Missouri Beneficiary Deed. Fortunately I wasn’t the one who advised that be used. Unfortunately I wasn’t asked to, because I would have advised against it. My friend, Frank, and his sister, Karen, had been named beneficiaries on their…
Read MoreChallenging the Validity of a Missouri Trust
I got a couple of weeks ago from Barry. Barry was very concerned that his mother’s trust will be challenged. Mom’s second husband died several years back. Mom and her second husband each had their own children from their first marriages. At the time of the second husband’s death his children received what amounted to his assets and property. Barry’s…
Read MoreEverybody in Missouri Should have a Durable Power of Attorney
Everyone in Missouri who is age 18 or over should have a Durable Power of Attorney. It doesn’t matter is you have $10 million or just $10. Most of us will be disabled sometime during our life, and will need someone to handle things for us. An existing client came to see us last week. We had…
Read MoreFinal Instructions to Loved Ones
An often overlooked matter in Estate Planning is leaving instructions to loved ones as to final arrangements, the funeral, burial, and related matters. This is likely the case because we get focused on stricly legal and financial matters – which is a natural thing to do. It’s also because this is work that the lawyer can’t really…
Read MoreMissouri Beneficiary Deed Forms
We are frequently asked for a blank Missouri Beneficiary Deed Form. When this happens we respectfully and politely declined to provide one. Why not? Several reasons, but primarily because we don’t want somebody filling in the blanks incorrectly, or not understanding precisely what they are doing. We simply refuse to be a part of that.…
Read MoreMissouri Beneficiary Deeds – When to Use Them
in Missouri, Beneficiary Deeds are a handy and valuable tool. Used properly, they transfer ownership of real estate instantly and automatically upon the death of the person or persons who created the deed, bypass probate, and they are relatively inexpensive. So — why doesn’t everybody use them all the time? The simple answer is — everything has…
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