Missouri · Estate & Probate
The Missouri Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide
A guide to creating your Missouri will, understanding trusts, appointing agents with powers of attorney, and navigating the probate process.
2026-2027 Edition · Cited to Missouri law · Plain language
Paperback · $19.99
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Add-on: Texas Wills & Powers of Attorney Pack · $39.99
Eleven editable forms that go with this guide, including a will, financial and medical powers of attorney and a living will, with a signing guide. Instant download; Word and PDF.
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Cited to the statute · Legal information, not legal advice
Missouri wills, trusts, and estates, explained in plain language
Will signing and witness rules, self-proving wills, living trusts, beneficiary deeds, powers of attorney, living wills, and intestate succession.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Planning ahead raises practical questions: what makes a will valid, whether a trust is worth it, and what happens to property without a plan. Missouri has strict rules for each, and they differ from many other states.
The Missouri Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide explains estate planning and administration under Missouri law. It covers the will requirements in RSMo § 474.320: a writing, the testator's signature, and two competent witnesses. It explains why Missouri does not recognize unwitnessed handwritten wills, why notarization is not required, and how a self-proving affidavit works.
The guide also covers:
• Revocable living trusts and trust funding under the Missouri Uniform Trust Code, RSMo Chapter 456
• Beneficiary deeds and payable-on-death and transfer-on-death designations
• Durable financial powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, and living will declarations
• Intestate succession and the surviving spouse's share under RSMo § 474.010
• Will contests, abatement, ademption, and nonjudicial settlement agreements
It explains why Missouri has no state estate or inheritance tax and how the $40,000 small estate affidavit fits in. Separate sections speak to the person making a plan and to the executor, trustee, or beneficiary carrying one out, with checklists, comparison tables, a glossary, and sample language. Legal information, not legal advice.
WHAT’S INSIDE
- Missouri's Legal Foundation: A Common Law, Non-UPC State
- Last Will and Testament: Your Instructions for After Death
- Trusts: A Flexible Tool for Managing Assets
- Planning for Incapacity and Avoiding Probate
- Exceptions and Defenses
- Rights of Executor, Trustee or Beneficiary
- Step-by-step procedures from each side, with deadlines at a glance
- 26 real-world questions and answers
- Statute index, key court decisions and official forms
- Toolkit: checklists, comparison tables, glossary and common mistakes to avoid
WHY READERS TRUST THIS GUIDE
Plain language. Cited to the statute. Dated so you know it is current.
Every rule is cited to Missouri law so you can verify it.
Cited, so you can check it
Every rule names the section of Missouri law it comes from, so you can read the source yourself.
Plain language, no filler
Written to be read start to finish by someone with no legal training, with worked examples.
Dated and updated
Each guide carries a law-current date and new editions ship when the law changes.
Bonus toolkit
Register your book for this topic’s checklists, worksheets and starter template, as soon as they are ready.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY
Missouri will requirements: what to know before you order.
Straight answers about what the guide is, what it covers and how it reaches you.
Does a will need to be notarized in Missouri?
No. A Missouri will must be in writing, signed by the testator, and signed by two competent witnesses. Notarization is used for an optional self-proving affidavit, which the guide explains.
Is a handwritten will valid in Missouri?
Missouri does not recognize holographic wills. A handwritten will is valid only if it meets the same signing and two-witness requirements as any other will. The guide explains RSMo § 474.320.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is legal information in plain language, cited to the law, so you understand your options and know what to ask. Reading it creates no attorney-client relationship.
Is it written for Missouri?
Yes. This guide is written for Missouri law and cites the Missouri statutes and rules it relies on. If your case is in another state, choose that state's edition.
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PLEASE READ
Legal information, not legal advice. STACKED LEGAL® is a publisher, not a law firm. Buying or reading this book creates no attorney-client relationship and promises no outcome. Laws change; verify current law and talk to a licensed attorney in Missouri about your situation.
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