https://polarisplans.com/ https://polarisplans.com/nursing-home-planning-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/nursing-home-planning-in-missouri/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Nursing home planning really means three separate things happening at once: figuring out how you’ll pay for care, making sure the legal groundwork is in place so someone can act on your behalf if needed, and, when the time comes, choosing a facility that’s actually good. Most families end up […] https://polarisplans.com/totten-trust-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/totten-trust-missouri/Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler A Totten trust is an older form of bank-account arrangement in which a person deposits his or her own funds into an account in his or her own name as trustee for another person. Missouri courts recognize this type of arrangement as a “tentative” or Totten trust. During the depositor’s […] https://polarisplans.com/do-accounts-with-beneficiaries-go-through-probate/https://polarisplans.com/do-accounts-with-beneficiaries-go-through-probate/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Marcus Tecarro Generally, no. Bank accounts with a payable-on-death designation, retirement accounts and life insurance with a named beneficiary, and vehicles with a transfer-on-death title all pass directly to the named person at death, without going through Missouri’s probate process. This is one of the most reliable and widely used ways to avoid […] https://polarisplans.com/when-to-update-your-estate-plan/https://polarisplans.com/when-to-update-your-estate-plan/Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler An estate plan reflects your life at the moment you signed it, and your life doesn’t stay still. A plan built five years ago, however well it was drafted, may not reflect a divorce, a new grandchild, a sold property, or a change in who you’d actually trust to carry […] https://polarisplans.com/qualifying-for-long-term-care-medicaid-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/qualifying-for-long-term-care-medicaid-in-missouri/Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:49 +0000Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Qualifying for long-term care Medicaid in Missouri means clearing three separate requirements: a medical requirement showing you actually need that level of care, an income test, and an asset test, all under a specific track called Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid, which has its own rules separate from standard MO […] https://polarisplans.com/irrevocable-trust-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/irrevocable-trust-in-missouri/Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Anne Harris An irrevocable trust in Missouri generally limits your ability to reclaim the assets or unilaterally change the trust. Depending on how it is structured, that limitation can help accomplish objectives such as creditor protection, tax planning, or Medicaid planning. Unlike a revocable living trust, an irrevocable trust generally cannot be amended […] https://polarisplans.com/how-to-avoid-probate-in-missouri-2/https://polarisplans.com/how-to-avoid-probate-in-missouri-2/Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Marcus Tecarro Missouri gives property owners several tools for keeping assets out of probate: a living trust, joint ownership with survivorship rights, beneficiary designations, and beneficiary deeds for real estate. Used correctly, together, they can mean a family never sets foot in probate court. Used carelessly, or left half finished, they create exactly […] https://polarisplans.com/transfer-on-death-deed-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/transfer-on-death-deed-missouri/Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Missouri’s official term is beneficiary deed, though most people search for it as a transfer on death deed, or TOD deed. They’re the same thing. Under Missouri law (RSMo 461.025), a beneficiary deed lets you name someone to inherit your real estate automatically at death, without probate, without giving up […] https://polarisplans.com/can-medicaid-take-your-house-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/can-medicaid-take-your-house-in-missouri/Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler Medicaid does not automatically take your house when you enter a nursing home. However, Missouri may impose a lien against real property during the recipient’s lifetime in certain circumstances, and estate recovery may apply after death. But the fear behind this question is legitimate: Missouri can, and often does, recover […] https://polarisplans.com/how-to-fund-a-trust-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/how-to-fund-a-trust-in-missouri/Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Anne Harris Asset integration, or how to fund a trust, means legally connecting assets to the trust and coordinating how they will pass under the estate plan. For many assets, that means transferring or retitling ownership to the trustee; for others, it means coordinating beneficiary designations or other transfer mechanisms.. It’s the step […] https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-income-limits/https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-income-limits/Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Anne Harris There isn’t one Missouri Medicaid income limit. There are several, and which one applies depends on which program you’re asking about: nursing home Medicaid, a Home and Community-Based Services waiver, or regular Medicaid coverage for seniors who don’t need long-term care. Families searching this question are usually trying to figure out […] https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-living-trust-in-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-living-trust-in-missouri/Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Marcus Tecarro Creating a living trust in Missouri involves four real steps: designing the trust around your family, signing it correctly, naming the right people to administer it, and asset integration. You can legally draft a trust yourself, as Missouri law doesn’t require an attorney to create one.  Where self-prepared trusts most often […] https://polarisplans.com/probate-process-missouri/https://polarisplans.com/probate-process-missouri/Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Scott Stork Most Missouri probate cases take 6 to 12 months from start to finish, though a handful of factors can move that number in either direction. Small estates can close in a few months. Contested or complicated ones can run 18 months or longer. If you’re the personal representative of a […] https://polarisplans.com/how-much-do-lawyers-charge-to-set-up-a-trust/https://polarisplans.com/how-much-do-lawyers-charge-to-set-up-a-trust/Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000If you’ve recently asked “How much do lawyers charge to set up a trust?” it’s important to know attorneys charge in different ways, and what your plan actually costs depends on your specific situation. Here’s how billing works, and how we approach pricing a plan. https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-for-seniors/https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-for-seniors/Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Anne Harris Missouri’s Medicaid program for seniors is called MO HealthNet, and it’s really two different programs wearing one name. There’s regular MO HealthNet, which covers medical care and works alongside Medicare for most seniors. And there’s long-term care Medicaid, the program families usually mean when looking for this service, which covers the […] https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-will-in-missouri-2/https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-will-in-missouri-2/Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Marcus Tecarro At Polaris, we build a will as one part of a complete estate plan, not as a single document to check off a list. Missouri law sets specific requirements for what a will has to include and how it has to be signed for a probate court to accept it, and […] https://polarisplans.com/polaris-named-st-louis-magazines-2026-a-list-best-estate-planning-law-firm/https://polarisplans.com/polaris-named-st-louis-magazines-2026-a-list-best-estate-planning-law-firm/Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:50:15 +0000St. Louis Magazine has named Polaris Estate Planning and Elder Law the Best Estate Planning Law Firm in its 2026 A-List Readers’ Choice Awards. We want to be clear about where this came from, because it changes what it means. The A-List isn’t decided by a panel of judges or a committee of industry insiders. […] https://polarisplans.com/six-mistakes-that-can-undermine-a-missouri-will/https://polarisplans.com/six-mistakes-that-can-undermine-a-missouri-will/Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Scott Stork TL;DR Signing a document called a will doesn’t guarantee that a will is valid or that it will work as you intend.. In Missouri, a will has to meet specific requirements, and six common mistakes can quietly undo it: improper signing, missing or improper witnesses, letting the will go outdated, […] https://polarisplans.com/the-unfunded-trust-problem-why-so-many-missouri-living-trusts-dont-actually-work/https://polarisplans.com/the-unfunded-trust-problem-why-so-many-missouri-living-trusts-dont-actually-work/Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Written by: Attorney Raymond Chandler TL;DR A living trust only accomplishes its intended goals for assets it actually owns.. Many Missouri trusts were properly drafted and signed but never funded, meaning the home was never retitled and the accounts never re-registered, so the trust controls nothing and those assets still pass through probate unless they […] https://polarisplans.com/independent-vs-supervised-probate-in-missouri-which-one-applies-to-your-estate/https://polarisplans.com/independent-vs-supervised-probate-in-missouri-which-one-applies-to-your-estate/Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000Written by: Anne Harris TL;DR Missouri probate law offers two paths: independent administration, which runs with light court oversight and is faster and cheaper, and supervised administration, where the court signs off on major steps throughout, making it slower, costlier, and more public. Which one your family ends up on isn’t random. It’s shaped by […]