Estate Planning & Elder Law Articles — page 8
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Your Kids Are Grown. Your Estate Plan Should Be Too
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork There is a particular kind of false comfort that comes with having an estate plan you have not looked at in fifteen years. It is still there. It is still signed. It still technically… Read “Your Kids Are Grown. Your Estate Plan Should Be Too”
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How Small Changes Quietly Undermine Old Estate Plans
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler Most estate plans do not fail dramatically. There is no single moment of obvious collapse, no clear event that signals the plan is broken. Instead, they fail the way most important… Read “How Small Changes Quietly Undermine Old Estate Plans”
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When Was the Last Time You Actually Looked at Your Estate Plan?
Written by: Attorney Anne Harris Most people who have an estate plan feel a quiet sense of relief knowing it exists. The documents were signed, the attorney was paid, and the folder went into the filing cabinet or the… Read “When Was the Last Time You Actually Looked at Your Estate Plan?”
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What Probate Looks Like for Surviving Spouses in Missouri
Written by: Attorney Marcus Tecarro A surviving spouse in Missouri does not always have to go through probate. Whether probate is required depends on how assets were titled, not on the size of the estate or how long you… Read “What Probate Looks Like for Surviving Spouses in Missouri”
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I Lost My Spouse and Everything Feels Frozen. What Is Actually Happening
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork There is a specific kind of disorientation that nobody prepares you for. It is not just the grief, though the grief is enormous. It is the moment, maybe a week after the funeral, when… Read “I Lost My Spouse and Everything Feels Frozen. What Is Actually Happening”
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Why Probate Timelines Feel Unclear and What Actually Slows Them Down
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler Probate in Missouri typically takes nine to eighteen months for a standard estate. Smaller estates that qualify for the simplified process can finish in three to six months, while… Read “Why Probate Timelines Feel Unclear and What Actually Slows Them Down”
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You’ve Been Named Executor. What Actually Happens Next in Missouri
Written by: Attorney Anne Harris As executor in Missouri, your job is to file the will with the probate court, get Letters Testamentary that give you legal authority to act, inventory the estate’s assets within 30 days… Read “You’ve Been Named Executor. What Actually Happens Next in Missouri”
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What Your Kids Won’t Know (And Why That’s a Problem)
Written by: Attorney Marcus Tecarro The estate planning attorney hands you the final documents. Everything is signed, notarized, and properly executed. The trust is funded. Powers of attorney are in place. You drive… Read “What Your Kids Won’t Know (And Why That’s a Problem)”
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The Nest Is Empty. Now What Happens to the House?
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork The last box is loaded into the car. Your youngest is heading off to college, a new job, or their first apartment. You stand in the driveway waving goodbye, then turn back toward a house… Read “The Nest Is Empty. Now What Happens to the House?”
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Probate Doesn’t Care How Much You Planned
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler You left the attorney’s office feeling accomplished. The will was signed, witnessed, and notarized. The powers of attorney were organized in your filing cabinet. You updated your… Read “Probate Doesn’t Care How Much You Planned”