Polaris Estate Planning & Elder Law

09/02/2026

Signing your trust and funding it are two different things. Signing creates the trust. Asset integration, retitling your home, your accounts, everything you own, into the trust's name, is what actually makes it work.
Skip that step, and the trust does not do what it was created to do.

We broke down exactly what asset integration involves, asset by asset:

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. Some cases may be referred to co-counsel depending on the nature and venue of a particular case.

08/31/2026

"What's the Medicaid income limit in Missouri?" It depends which program you mean. Nursing home Medicaid has its own income limit, generally around $2,900 to $3,000 a month, but Missouri also allows a spend-down option if income runs higher, and there are real protections for a spouse who continues living at home.

If your parent is already in a facility and the numbers seem too high, it's usually not the end of the road. Crisis Medicaid planning has its own tools too.

We broke down how the numbers actually work together: https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-income-limits/

08/28/2026

Creating a living trust in Missouri isn't just drafting a document. It's four steps: designing it around your family, signing it in front of a notary, pairing it with a pour-over will and powers of attorney, and funding it, actually retitling your accounts and property into the trust's name.

That last step is the one almost everyone underestimates, and it's the difference between a trust that works and an expensive document that doesn't.

We broke down the full process: https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-living-trust-in-missouri/

08/26/2026

A BIG Thank You to our clients Maria and Ken for being kind enough to share their experience at our Annual Client Meeting earlier this summer.

08/26/2026

If you're settling a loved one's estate in Missouri, here's the expected timeline: most full probate cases take 6 to 12 months, and a mandatory six-month creditor claim period sets the floor no matter how organized the family.

If you're a surviving spouse, though, your situation may be simpler than it feels right now. Jointly held property and accounts with a named beneficiary typically bypass probate entirely.

We broke down the full process, stage by stage, and what's different if you're a spouse instead of an adult child settling a parent's estate: https://polarisplans.com/probate-process-missouri/

08/25/2026

Curious about how our clients feel about us and our services? Check out this great video testimonial from Justin and Brea at our 2026 Annual Client Meeting:

Clients Justin and Brea share their experience with us while attend...

08/24/2026

How much does it cost to set up a trust? There's no single answer, since the fee depends on how an attorney bills and what your specific plan actually needs.

Some attorneys price per tool, some bill hourly, some price around your whole plan. At Polaris, we build the plan first, based on a conversation about your family and what you own, and price it from there.

Here's how we think about it: https://polarisplans.com/how-much-do-lawyers-charge-to-set-up-a-trust/

08/19/2026

Medicaid for seniors in Missouri is really two programs in one name: regular MO HealthNet, and long-term care Medicaid, which is what most families mean when they ask about nursing home costs.

The rules are specific: asset limits, income limits, a five-year look-back on gifts and transfers, and real protections for a spouse who stays at home. And if your family is already in the middle of a care crisis, it's not too late to look into your real options, even if the ideal planning window has passed.

We wrote a full guide to how MO HealthNet actually works for seniors: https://polarisplans.com/missouri-medicaid-for-seniors/

08/17/2026

August is National Make-A-Will Month, which makes this a good time to say plainly: building a will isn't something we hand a family a form for. Missouri sets specific requirements for how a will has to be signed and witnessed before a probate court will accept it, and that's exactly the step where a self-written or online will most often runs into trouble.

At Polaris, we build the will around your family, handle the signing correctly, and pair it with the other documents that make a plan complete.

Here's what actually goes into building a will in Missouri: https://polarisplans.com/how-to-create-a-will-in-missouri/

08/14/2026

ICYMI

Did you see our annoucement yesterday? If you missed it...

We've been named Best Estate Planning Law Firm in St. Louis Magazine's A-List for 2026!

Here's a link to the complete list of winners: https://www.stlmag.com/alist/

And here's a link to a blog we published talking a little more about how much this honor means to us and why: https://polarisplans.com/polaris-named-st-louis-magazines-2026-a-list-best-estate-planning-law-firm/