Legal Insights for Real Estate & Estate Planning

Key Takeaways If a parent leaves everything to one child, that child inherits the estate unless the will is successfully contested. Dying with a will versus dying without one leads to very different outcomes. Missouri gives interested parties six months after probate to contest a will. Valid grounds to challenge a will include incapacity,...

Key Takeaways Immediate steps include ordering death certificates, securing the property, petitioning for an administrator, and consulting an attorney. Order several certified copies of the death certificate before contacting banks, insurers, or government agencies. Secure the home, vehicle, and other valuable property while the family sorts out the rest of the estate. A surviving...

Key Takeaways Missouri law guarantees a surviving spouse a share of the estate, even against a will. Dying without a will does not leave a wife unprotected under Missouri's distribution rules. Probate assets, jointly owned property, and beneficiary accounts each pass differently after death. A spouse left out of a will can still claim...