Probate Avoidance in Missouri

Keeping Your Assets Out of Probate

Let's be honest.  You have heard of Probate, and have been told you need to avoid it.  Do you really know what Probate is, or why you need to avoid it?  The true key to understanding Wills v. Trusts, and estate planning in general, requires basic knowledge about probate.  We encourage you to read our Probate page,  and learn more about how probate works, so we can all be honest about what Probate is, and what Probate isn't. 

The probate process costs money (sometimes a great deal). It takes a significant amount of time to complete, often a year, sometimes more. It is not a private process; probate court records are public knowledge.

So if it's possible to avoid probate, the question is: "Why wouldn't you want to?" Probate can be avoided with the help of an experienced lawyer, and some a bit of thoughtful estate planning.

At The Piatchek Law Firm, LLC, we help people to avoid probate and in the process help them save their loved ones the costs, delays and indignities of public probate proceedings. If you would like to learn more about how you can avoid probate, our attorney would be happy to evaluate your situation and explain the options available to you.

For quality, affordable legal services in Springfield or anywhere in southwest Missouri, call us at 417-882-5858 or, send us an e-mail to schedule a consultation.

Estate Planning Tools You Can Use to Avoid Probate

Used together, the estate planning tools described below can help most people accomplish their goal of avoiding probate.

• Living trusts: by establishing a living trust, you can retain control of assets during your lifetime while ensuring a smooth, non-probate distribution of those assets to intended beneficiaries when the time comes.
• Beneficiary deeds: a beneficiary deed can be used to transfer homes and other real property assets without having to go through probate.
• Transfer on death deeds/payable on death accounts: essentially, these tools allow you to transfer large amounts of money, real estate, stocks and even vehicles outside of the probate process.

Serving Your Family and Your Business

Let us help you take care of your legal concerns today. Call us at 417-882-5858 or contact us online to set up a confidential consultation.

We offer free initial consultations for estate planning matters and may be available for evening and weekend appointments, on a case by case basis. We can also arrange a home visit if you are unable to travel to our offices.

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