Protect what you have
built. Spare your family the chaos.
Most Missouri families need an estate plan they can understand, set up, and forget about until something changes. We do flat-fee estate planning for working families: a will, a properly funded revocable living trust where it makes sense, durable powers of attorney for finances and healthcare, HIPAA authorizations, and an advance directive. Two meetings, no surprises, and the whole package costs less than your family will spend on probate without it.
A complete plan in two meetings —
flat fee, no surprises.
Last Will & Testament
The foundational document. Names beneficiaries, executor, guardians for minor children. Required for any plan.
Revocable Living Trust
A separate legal entity that holds your assets during your lifetime, lets you control them completely, and passes them to beneficiaries at death without probate.
Pour-Over Will
The companion document to a trust. Catches anything not titled in the trust at death and pours it into the trust for distribution.
Durable Power of Attorney (Financial)
Names the person who can manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. Critical document — most plans without one create court conservatorship problems.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Names the person who can make medical decisions if you cannot. Includes HIPAA authorization so your agent can actually access medical records.
Advance Directive (Living Will)
Documents your wishes about end-of-life care — what you want done and not done if you cannot speak for yourself.
Beneficiary Deeds
A Missouri-specific tool. Real estate transfers automatically at death without probate. Excellent for keeping the family home outside the probate system.
Probate Administration
When a loved one dies and probate is required, we serve as probate counsel for the executor or administrator — handling notice, accountings, distributions, and closing.
The difference
an experienced lawyer makes.
A Properly Funded Trust Saves Months and Tens of Thousands
A typical Florissant family with a home, retirement accounts, and adult children: with a will alone, probate at second death takes the better part of a year and consumes a meaningful percentage of the estate in court costs and administrative fees. With a properly funded trust, assets typically pass to beneficiaries in a fraction of that time at a fraction of the cost. We quote the flat fee for the plan itself at the consultation.
"Funding" the Trust Is the Part Most People Miss
An astonishing number of Missouri families have a beautiful trust document signed and sitting in a folder, with their assets still titled in their individual names. When they die, the trust does nothing. We walk you through the retitling — included in the trust-based plan fee.
Powers of Attorney Are More Important Than the Will
A will only matters when you die. Powers of attorney matter every day you are alive. Without them, an incapacity event creates court-supervised conservatorship — expensive, slow, and intrusive. We make sure both powers are part of every plan.
Beneficiary Deeds Are Missouri's Hidden Gem
A beneficiary deed transfers Missouri real estate at death without probate, without trust complexity, and at minimal cost. For families whose primary asset is the home, a will plus a beneficiary deed often handles most of what they need.
What happens
when you call us.
Initial Meeting (1 hour, free)
We discuss your family, your assets, your goals, and your concerns. We tell you what kind of plan fits your situation — sometimes that is a will-only plan, sometimes a trust-based plan, sometimes a beneficiary deed only.
Drafting (1–2 weeks)
We prepare your documents and send drafts for your review. You make changes, we revise.
Signing Meeting (1 hour)
You come in, sign in front of witnesses and a notary, and leave with your complete original documents. We keep digital copies.
Trust Funding (where applicable)
For trust-based plans, we walk you through retitling your real estate, financial accounts, and other assets into the trust. Included in the plan fee.
Frequently asked
questions.
It depends. A will-only plan works well for very small estates, families whose primary asset is a home that can transfer by beneficiary deed, and people who do not mind their estate going through probate. A trust is appropriate for larger estates, blended families, families with minor children, real estate in multiple states, and anyone who wants their family to avoid probate. We tell you honestly which one fits at the consultation.
Estate plan fees depend on the complexity of your situation — a simple will package is the lowest tier; a complete trust-based plan covering a revocable living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, HIPAA, advance directive, and beneficiary deed runs higher. Complex situations (business interests, special needs, large estates) are priced individually. We quote a flat fee at the consultation, which is free.
Probate is the court-supervised process of transferring assets after death. In Missouri it typically takes 6–12 months and consumes 4–8% of the estate value in costs and fees. The simplest ways to avoid probate are: a properly funded revocable living trust, beneficiary designations on retirement and life insurance accounts, joint tenancy on real estate, and Missouri's beneficiary deeds for real property.
You die "intestate." Missouri's default intestacy statute (RSMo 474) decides who gets what — usually a workable result for a married couple with biological children, often a poor result for blended families, unmarried partners, stepchildren, or anyone with non-traditional wishes. A will is essential.
Technically yes. Practically: most homemade wills we see have problems that cost the estate more to fix than a properly drafted will would have cost in the first place. Missing required witnesses, ambiguous language, omitted beneficiaries, no executor named — these are routine. A flat-fee professionally drafted plan is inexpensive insurance against much larger probate costs.
Every 3–5 years routinely, plus immediately after any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth of children or grandchildren, death of a beneficiary or executor, significant change in assets, move to or from another state. We do not charge for minor updates to existing clients in most cases.