Year: 2026

What Actually Happens With Your Beneficiaries Someone dies. The money moves—or it doesn’t. In Missouri, the person named as the beneficiary on your life insurance paperwork decides who gets paid,…

An Honest Look at Estate Planning for University Staff The professor with her shoulder bag, the lecturer finishing up at Magruder Hall, the longtime Truman staffer who’s seen two generations…

Pour-Over Wills: The Last Catch in a Missouri Estate Plan Out here, estate plans don’t always go according to script. Maybe you set up a trust, think you’re covered, but…

It happens all the time—a family owns farmland outside St. Louis, a second house across the river, and Dad’s bank accounts scattered across four states. The world got smaller, but…

The Letter and Spirit of Missouri’s Will Laws Signing a will in Missouri is a test of memory, patience, and details. The law here isn’t subtle. If you overlook even…

The Realities Facing LGBTQ Couples Here One day you wake up and the law finally recognizes your marriage. That doesn’t mean everyone, everywhere, does. In northeast Missouri, estate planning touches…

What Missouri Really Expects From an Executor or Trustee You get named as an executor or trustee in Missouri. The paperwork arrives. It rarely feels ceremonial. Take the role on,…

Why Where You Store Your Will Matters in Missouri You draft a will. That’s the first milestone, not the finish line. Too often, people lock away the paperwork and never…

What Standby Guardianship Actually Means in Missouri A terminal diagnosis lands hard. Most parents I’ve met, when the doctor’s news has come down, look for something solid—some way to guarantee…

The Core Idea: What is an Asset Protection Trust? A lawsuit comes out of the blue. Somebody claims a piece of what you've spent your life building. In Missouri, if…