Saint Peters, Mo
636.875.7653
Ah, the vacation home: a place of relaxation, where your family can enjoy time together and build memories. Inevitably, some of your children will love the vacation home and others will have no interest in using it. How do you balance these interests in planning...
The IRS has finally released information on federal estate and gift tax exemptions for 2017. Individuals will have a federal estate tax exemption of $5.49 million (less lifetime taxable gifts) beginning in 2017. The federal estate tax exemption applies both to...
When an individual dies with a very modest estate, there is a simplified procedure that permits that deceased person's personal representative, family or heirs to collect his or her assets without the complexity, time and expense of a formal probate proceeding. In...
If you are a creditor of a decedent who has died, you will need to know how to file a claim against the decedent’s estate in order to protect yourself and preserve the amount due to you. Below you will find general guidance about the process for filing a claim in a...
Frequently clients inquire about the best ways to either make gifts to grandchildren during their lifetime or leave a small gift to their grandchildren at their death. One way to accomplish that gift is to leave money to a 529 Account, named for the Internal Revenue...
I am asked this important question several times each week. There is no right answer to the question. Consider the following guidelines to determine when and how often your estate plan should be reviewed. At a minimum, I recommend you review the basic terms of your...
No. The short answer is that you do not have to tell your family (or your friends, your priest, your best friend or anyone else) what provisions you made in your estate planning documents. Your estate planning documents are private, and you can decide to keep them...
Hiring an estate planning attorney is often the first opportunity an individual has had to hire an attorney to assist them. The process can seem overwhelming if one does not know what questions to ask. Asking the right questions can help you determine if you are...
Frequently clients are interested in making a gift to one or more charities they supported during their lifetime, such as their college, church or synagogue, or a charitable organization where they volunteered their time. Properly funding the gift is an important...
If you are like most parents with college-bound children, the last thing on your mind is estate planning. You may be sad to see your baby leave for college, or you may be dismantling their room so you can have your own space. You may also be lamenting the fact that...