Our new office location is in Cape Girardeau at 2007 Independence Street. That’s near the new Walmart Neighborhood Market and in between John’s Pharmacy and the Grecian Steakhouse. Mailing Address is: Law Office of Mark McMullin 2007 Independence Street Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Example. Kirk and Lisa wanted to make their estate settlement simple for each other and for their three children. Knowing that assets in a revocable trust avoid probate, they created a trust and transferred their stock, home, LLCs into their trust. Kirk and Lisa “heard” that life insurance avoid probate because it’s paid to the […]
Perhaps you are wondering, “What are the differences in the estate tax proposals for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?” In its current pre-election form, an estate must pay federal estate tax if the estate has a net fair market value in excess of $5.45 million as of the date of death. The estate tax rate […]
It’s common for individuals who own real estate to procrastinate estate planning. Too frequently, individuals procrastinate too long and end up passing away with no plan in place for their real estate. The result: legal confusion. One family comes to mind. The wife had real estate that was only in her name. When she passed […]
Probate is the process of transferring property from a deceased individual to living individuals. Sounds simple, right? Yet, it can quickly become complicated and expensive. In Missouri, each county has a probate court that handles these transfers. However, probate takes time. The Missouri Bar advises that “the earliest that an estate may be closed and […]
Recently I had a small-business owner contact me regarding changing the name of his business. We were able to amend the Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. That is a routine matter and can be done in one day This was a healthcare business and it also needed to update its […]
Recently I hosted an estate planning workshop for the community. In introducing myself I said that I focus my practice on estate planning and elder law. An attendee wanted to know what those terms meant: what does “estate planning” mean? What is “elder law”? My simple definition for estate planning is this: planning so your […]
Recently a past client of mine called. She had inherited several pieces of farm land that had been owned by her great-grandparents. The result, is that while the great-grandparents owned 100% of the land, at their death it was divided up equally among their children. The children then divided it among their children and so […]
I’m a note-taker. Usually you will find me with a blue ink pen and legal pad in hand, ready to take notes on whatever is being discussed. Recently, I came across one of my legal pads that had the following notes: Top 10 Reasons for Creating an Estate Plan from “The Everything Wills & Estate […]
In just a few weeks, we will elect a new president. Recent polls have Hillary in the lead. Regardless of whether you agree with Bill and Hillary’s politics, we can learn a few things from them about smart estate planning strategies. A recent Time.com article reveals that Bill and Hillary have set up a variety […]
