Articles

Written by: Anne Harris TL;DR Missouri probate law offers two paths: independent administration, which runs with light court oversight and is faster and cheaper, and supervised administration, where the court signs off on major steps throughout, making it slower, costlier,…

Written by: Marcus Tecarro TL;DR Missouri probate usually takes six months to a year, and a big part of that is simply built into the law: creditors get a set window to come forward before an estate can close. What…

Written by: Scott Stork TL;DR A living trust and a will each play an important role in estate planning, but they serve different purposes. A living trust can help properly funded assets avoid probate, provide continuity if you become incapacitated,…

Written by: Raymond Chandler TL;DR A Missouri small estate affidavit provides a simplified prohttps://polarisplans.com/missouri-probate/bate process for qualifying estates, but not every estate is eligible. Whether you can use one depends on factors such as the value of the probate estate,…

Written by: Anne Harris TL;DR Missouri probate laws determine how a person’s estate is administered after death, including which assets go through probate, who inherits property, and the responsibilities of the personal representative. Understanding these laws can help families avoid…

Written by: Marcus Tecarro TL;DR Protecting a surviving spouse involves much more than deciding who inherits your assets. A well-coordinated estate plan can help ensure your spouse has access to financial accounts, authority to make important decisions if you’re incapacitated,…

Written by: Attorney Scott Stork TL;DR Understanding what happens in probate court in Missouri can make an overwhelming situation feel much more manageable. Probate is generally required when assets cannot transfer automatically after someone dies, and the process often takes…

Written by: Attorney Anne Harris TL;DR Not all trusts do the same thing. A revocable living trust avoids probate but generally does not protect assets from Medicaid eligibility rules and may not protect assets from Missouri’s Medicaid Estate Recovery Program,…

Written by: Attorney Marcus Tecarro TL;DR Elder law is not the same as estate planning, and the difference matters most before a health crisis, not after. In Missouri, Medicaid reviews financial transactions made during the five years before an application,…

Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler Quick Summary You probably know someone who went through it. A parent who needed a nursing home and nobody had a plan. A sibling whose assets disappeared before Medicaid kicked in. A family that spent…