Articles
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Nursing Home Planning in Missouri: The Legal, Financial, and Practical Pieces
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Nursing home planning really means three separate things happening at once: figuring out how you’ll pay for care, making sure the legal groundwork is in place so someone can act on your… Read “Nursing Home Planning in Missouri: The Legal, Financial, and Practical Pieces”
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What Is a Totten Trust in Missouri, and Why Does Polaris Generally Use Alternatives?
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler A Totten trust is an older form of bank-account arrangement in which a person deposits his or her own funds into an account in his or her own name as trustee for another person… Read “What Is a Totten Trust in Missouri, and Why Does Polaris Generally Use Alternatives?”
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Do Accounts With Beneficiaries Go Through Probate in Missouri?
Written by: Marcus Tecarro Generally, no. Bank accounts with a payable-on-death designation, retirement accounts and life insurance with a named beneficiary, and vehicles with a transfer-on-death title all pass directly… Read “Do Accounts With Beneficiaries Go Through Probate in Missouri?”
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When to Update Your Estate Plan: The Life Events That Actually Matter
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler An estate plan reflects your life at the moment you signed it, and your life doesn’t stay still. A plan built five years ago, however well it was drafted, may not reflect a divorce,… Read “When to Update Your Estate Plan: The Life Events That Actually Matter”
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How to Qualify for Long-Term Care Medicaid in Missouri
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Qualifying for long-term care Medicaid in Missouri means clearing three separate requirements: a medical requirement showing you actually need that level of care, an income test, and an… Read “How to Qualify for Long-Term Care Medicaid in Missouri”
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Irrevocable Trust Missouri: What You’re Actually Trading When You Sign One
Written by: Anne Harris An irrevocable trust in Missouri generally limits your ability to reclaim the assets or unilaterally change the trust. Depending on how it is structured, that limitation can help accomplish… Read “Irrevocable Trust Missouri: What You’re Actually Trading When You Sign One”
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How to Avoid Probate in Missouri: What Actually Works
Written by: Marcus Tecarro Missouri gives property owners several tools for keeping assets out of probate: a living trust, joint ownership with survivorship rights, beneficiary designations, and beneficiary deeds for… Read “How to Avoid Probate in Missouri: What Actually Works”
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Transfer on Death Deed Missouri: How a Beneficiary Deed Actually Works
Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Missouri’s official term is beneficiary deed, though most people search for it as a transfer on death deed, or TOD deed. They’re the same thing. Under Missouri law (RSMo 461.025), a… Read “Transfer on Death Deed Missouri: How a Beneficiary Deed Actually Works”
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Can Medicaid Take Your House in Missouri? Here’s What Actually Happens
Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler Medicaid does not automatically take your house when you enter a nursing home. However, Missouri may impose a lien against real property during the recipient’s lifetime in certain… Read “Can Medicaid Take Your House in Missouri? Here’s What Actually Happens”
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How to Fund a Trust: What Asset Integration Actually Involves
Written by: Anne Harris Asset integration, or how to fund a trust, means legally connecting assets to the trust and coordinating how they will pass under the estate plan. For many assets, that means transferring or… Read “How to Fund a Trust: What Asset Integration Actually Involves”