Typically our clients want to avoid Probate Court. Yet, if probate cannot be avoided, here are the steps that you have to go through during a normal Probate case in the state of Missouri. Note, this is for a “normal” case, yet please keep in mind that each case is different. For example, if the […]
We often get clients who say, “I’d like to set up a Trust.” Yet, what type of trust you want to set up will depend on your situation. One big advantage of most Trusts is they can help your heirs avoid probate court and, in many instances, can help keep your affairs private. Many trusts […]
The Department of Veteran’s Administration (VA) recently announced big changes to eligibility requirements for the VA pension and other needs-based benefit programs. The changes will be effective October 18, 2018. Some of the very good planning options that are currently available will no longer be available beginning on October 18th. One change is that the […]
Looking for a beneficiary? Consider a charity. Recently a client of mine said, “Mark, we know that we should have done a Will or Trust a long time ago but we haven’t because we just don’t know who I want our property to go to. We don’t have any children, we’re not especially close to […]
About every 6 weeks our firm hosts an Estate Planning Seminar for the community. These seminars are a great chance to learn more about estate planning and elder law. And better yet, they are FREE to you. There is absolutely no cost to attend. What you will find at these seminars is useful information for […]
When it comes to Estate Planning, have you ever thought any of these? It’s time that we set up a Will… When dad died, he had a Living Trust – maybe I need a Trust as well? I think it is time to get my affairs in order… What do I have to do so […]
Law firms typically focus on specific areas of the law called practice areas. Our primary practice areas are Estate Planning (Wills & Trusts) and Elder Law (medicaid planning & asset protection). We’ve chosen to limit our practice areas to better serve our clients. After all, if you wouldn’t go to an orthopedic doctor for a […]
Over-controlling daughter-in-law? Lazy son-in-law? These are just two reasons why parents may want to keep a daughter-in-law or son-in-law out of their estate. Other common reasons include: (i) the fact that the in-law spends too much money; (ii) the in-law has their own kids; (iii) the in-law will inherit from their own parents and grandparents; […]
This afternoon I was able to visit with a client when he came in to pick up his estate planning portfolio. He remarked that “we sure did have to get a lot of things cleaned up. Thank goodness we found out about that. We would have hated to leave that mess for our daughter.” What […]
In March, I moved law offices. As anyone who has ever moved knows, it takes a little bit of time to get unpacked and set up. Yet, after several weeks of late nights and working weekends, we are full-speed ahead at our new location at 2007 Independence Street in Cape Girardeau. Below are pictures of […]
