Estate Planning · Revocable living trusts
A living trust that is actually funded.
A trust avoids probate only for what it owns. Many trusts never get the house put in them. Ours come with the deeds recorded, the accounts retitled, and a certificate that proves it.
When a trust earns its cost
A revocable living trust is a private agreement: you put your property in it, you manage it as trustee while you're able, and the person you name takes over if you can't and when you die, without a court. It's the right tool when one of these is true:
- You own real estate in more than one state. A beneficiary deed covers only Missouri property; a trust covers all of it.
- It's a blended family. A trust can provide for a spouse and still make sure the children receive what you intend.
- An heir needs protection: a minor, a child with a disability who receives benefits, or someone who shouldn't receive a lump sum outright.
- You want someone to manage things during incapacity beyond what a power of attorney gives, with instructions written down in advance.
- You have many accounts, or you value privacy. Probate is a public court file; a trust is not.
If none of these is true, a will with a recorded beneficiary deed may be the better answer. We'll say so.
The Trust Plan
- Revocable living trust under Missouri's Uniform Trust Code
- Pour-over will, with self-proving affidavit
- Certification of trust (RSMo 456.10-1013), the short document banks and title companies rely on instead of reading the whole trust
- Durable financial power of attorney
- Health care power of attorney and directive, HIPAA authorization
- Written funding instructions for every asset
- A plain-English summary for your family
Trust Plan, Funded adds the deeds, the retitling, the 90-day audit and the Funding Verified certificate.
Flat fees, quoted in writing on the first call.
Funding: the part most trusts never get
A trust only controls what has been transferred into it. The document alone does nothing.
The house
A new deed from you to you as trustee, recorded with the county, or a beneficiary deed naming the trust. Either way, it's a recorded document, not a note in a binder.
Bank and investment accounts
Retitled to the trust, or given a beneficiary designation naming it. Each institution has its own form. We prepare them and follow up until each one is confirmed.
Retirement accounts and life insurance
These usually stay in your name with a beneficiary designation. Which beneficiary to name is a decision with tax consequences; it's made in the design meeting, not on a form at the bank.
Vehicles, boats and the rest
Missouri allows beneficiary designations on vehicle titles. Personal property passes by a signed assignment. We cover all of it in the instructions.
Funding Verified. With the funded plan, we record the deeds, send the retitling letters, chase the institutions, check everything at 90 days and hand you a certificate listing each asset and how it now passes. If you later buy, sell or refinance, the Maintenance Plan catches it.
Three things people get wrong about trusts
- "It needs its own tax ID." Not while you're alive and serving as your own trustee. A revocable trust reports under your Social Security number. A new tax ID is needed only after death, or for an irrevocable trust.
- "It's registered with the state." No. A trust is a private document. There is no filing, no public record, and nothing to renew. The certification of trust is what you show a bank.
- "Once it's signed, we're done." The signing is the middle. Funding is the end, and keeping beneficiaries and successor trustees current is the part that never quite ends. That's what the yearly review is for.
How we charge
A flat fee for the Trust Plan and a flat add-on for funding, both quoted in writing before any work begins. Additional deeds are a flat amount each. No hourly billing.
How it works
About three weeks from the first call to recorded deeds.
- STEP 1
A free 15-minute call
We book your design meeting and quote the fee in writing.
- STEP 2
Design meeting
About an hour with Bobby: trustees, beneficiaries, distributions, and whether a trust is the right tool at all.
- STEP 3
Signing day
Trust, pour-over will, certification and powers signed with witnesses and a notary. Family welcome, by video or in the room.
- STEP 4
Funding Verified
Deeds recorded, accounts retitled, 90-day audit, certificate.
Common questions
General information about Missouri law, not advice about your situation.
Who should be my successor trustee?
Someone organized, honest and willing, who will still be able when the time comes. A child who lives far away is fine; the job is paperwork, not proximity. Name an alternate. If there is no one, we can discuss a professional trustee.
Can I change the trust later?
Yes. It's revocable: you can amend it, add or remove assets, change trustees, or revoke it entirely while you have capacity.
Does a trust protect my assets from nursing home costs?
A revocable trust does not. That is a different kind of planning with irrevocable trusts and long look-back periods, and it isn't something to do casually. Ask us and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth exploring.
Do I still need a will?
Yes. The pour-over will catches anything that was never transferred to the trust and names a guardian for minor children. It is included.
What happens at my death?
Your successor trustee gets a death certificate, obtains a tax ID for the trust, notifies beneficiaries, pays final bills and distributes as the trust directs. No court. We help with that too: see trust administration.
Related services
Find out whether a trust is worth it for you.
A free 15-minute call. If a will and a deed would do the job, we'll tell you.