Individual
One person — property, retirement accounts, or minor children to plan for.
Typically Includes
- Revocable living trust
- Will, POA & healthcare directive
- Guardian nominations for children
- Beneficiary alignment on every account
Trust AttorneyWe'll Tell You Which Trust Actually Fits Your Situation.
A trust only works if it's the right type for your situation, and only if it's actually funded.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri trust attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so we help you find the one that fits, then make sure it works.
Free 30-minute consultationNo obligation
30 Years
Practicing law
11 Years
In wealth management, alongside her law practice
CFP®
Certified Financial Planner
AEP®
Accredited Estate Planner
What it does
Which Trust Fits Your Situation
Start with what's true for you — not the legal name of the document.
Living Trust — a revocable trust you control during your life that passes property directly, without probate, if it's funded.
Learn about Living Trusts →Special Needs Trust — protects an inheritance for a loved one with a disability without disqualifying their benefits.
Learn about Special Needs Trusts →Asset Protection Trust — shields what you've built from future creditors and legal claims.
Learn about Asset Protection Trusts →Charitable Trust — directs part of your estate to a cause you choose, often with a tax benefit.
Learn about Charitable Trusts →Trust for Minor Children — controls how and when a child receives an inheritance, instead of all at once at eighteen.
Learn about Trusts for Minor Children →Pet Trust — names a caretaker and sets aside funds for your pet's care after you're gone.
Learn about Pet Trusts →What we watch for
Why a Trust — Not Just a Will
A will directs probate. A funded trust passes property directly — faster, and without a public court filing.
A will directs probate. A funded trust passes property directly — faster, and without a public court filing.
A will only takes effect after you pass. A trust can be managed on your behalf if you become incapacitated, with no court involved.
A trust can pay out over years or at set ages, instead of handing everything to a beneficiary at once.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri trust attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so we help you find the one that fits, then make sure it works.
Pricing
How Your Trust Is Priced
A trust is rarely priced on its own. Most plans are a flat fee, set before you commit to anything, that covers it alongside whatever else you need. What changes the number is complexity — whether you're planning alone, as a couple, or across multiple assets and entities.
Couple
Two people — one coordinated plan instead of two that may conflict.
Typically Includes
- Joint or mirror living trusts
- POA & healthcare directive for each
- Marital trust for the surviving spouse
- A clear roadmap for the first death
Complex or High Net Worth
Multiple assets, entities, or a business — coordinated with your CPA and other advisors.
Typically Includes
- Irrevocable & tax-minimizing trusts
- Business succession & family entities
- Charitable & generation-skipping
- Coordinated with your CPA & advisors
Get an exact number for your situation — the first call is free.
Call 636-214-0546The process
How Your Trust Gets Built
Property, accounts, family circumstances — in one real meeting.
1
We map your situation
Property, accounts, family circumstances — in one real meeting.
2
We draft it
Written to work with your will and powers of attorney, not around them.
3
We fund it
Accounts retitled, deeds recorded, beneficiaries verified. A trust that isn't funded doesn't work — this step is why ours do.
4
We stay
Reviewed every year, so it still matches your life when it's needed.
Your attorney
Why Families Trust Deborah With This
Deborah Smiley
JD · CFP® · AEP®Deborah has practiced law in Missouri for 30 years. For 11 of those years, she also worked in wealth management — a combination that matters here too, since choosing and funding the right trust means understanding your actual assets, not just filling in a template.
She's a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) and an AEP® (Accredited Estate Planner) — credentials very few estate attorneys hold together.
30 yrsPracticing law in Missouri
11 yrsIn wealth management, alongside her law practice
CFP®Certified Financial Planner
AEP®Accredited Estate Planner
Past ChairProbate & Trust Committee, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Ready to talk through your plan?
Call 636-214-0546Client Reviews
Deb has been a great partner over the years and takes great care of my referrals/clients for their planning needs.
Harvey
I met Deb and I thought I had all my estate and business planning affairs in order; then she asked me questions that made me realize I had a lot more planning to do.
Jamie
Deb and I have been collaborative partners for almost 20 years. She has taken great care of my clients.
Paul
I have known Deb for years and she has given me peace of mind with my estate planning needs.
Carol
Deb has been instrumental in helping my family with their estate planning needs. We are grateful for her.
David
Deb has been very helpful with my and my family's estate and business planning.
Kelly
When we first moved here, I didn't realize how many legal revisions and details were needed. I heard Deb speak at a luncheon and was so impressed with her legal knowledge. Deb has been very helpful with my family's estate planning. She gave us peace of mind.
Jenny
Deb, thank you so much, we really appreciate all of your work and concern.
Bob and Myra
Deb was very responsive and helpful.
Chris
Deb was so helpful and even came to our house.
Missy and Ray
Deb was very responsive, helpful and intelligent.
John and Julie
Deb has been a great partner over the years and takes great care of my referrals/clients for their planning needs.
Harvey
I met Deb and I thought I had all my estate and business planning affairs in order; then she asked me questions that made me realize I had a lot more planning to do.
Jamie
Deb and I have been collaborative partners for almost 20 years. She has taken great care of my clients.
Paul
I have known Deb for years and she has given me peace of mind with my estate planning needs.
Carol
Deb has been instrumental in helping my family with their estate planning needs. We are grateful for her.
David
Deb has been very helpful with my and my family's estate and business planning.
Kelly
When we first moved here, I didn't realize how many legal revisions and details were needed. I heard Deb speak at a luncheon and was so impressed with her legal knowledge. Deb has been very helpful with my family's estate planning. She gave us peace of mind.
Jenny
Deb, thank you so much, we really appreciate all of your work and concern.
Bob and Myra
Deb was very responsive and helpful.
Chris
Deb was so helpful and even came to our house.
Missy and Ray
Deb was very responsive, helpful and intelligent.
John and Julie
Questions
Questions
A legal arrangement where a trustee holds and manages property for a beneficiary — often used to avoid probate, protect assets, or control how and when someone receives an inheritance.
It depends on your goal — avoiding probate, protecting a family member's benefits, shielding assets from creditors, or something else. Call and we'll help you match your situation to the right type.
Yes. A "pourover" will catches anything left outside the trust and names guardians for minor children — something a trust alone can't do.
A revocable trust can be changed or undone while you're alive. An irrevocable trust generally can't — in exchange, it offers stronger protection from creditors and estate tax.
A living trust alone doesn't. Certain irrevocable trusts can reduce estate tax exposure — that's a complex or high net worth conversation.
Retitling accounts and recording deeds into the trust's name. An unfunded trust doesn't control anything — the assets stay in your name, and probate runs anyway.
Yes, with a revocable living trust. You name a successor trustee to take over if you can't serve, or after your death.
It depends on the type and how complex your assets are. Call for a free 30-minute consultation and you'll get a flat fee before you commit to anything.
Ready to Find the Right Trust?
Call to schedule your free 30-minute consultation with Deborah — no obligation.
Call 636-214-0546Free 30-minute consultationNo obligationReal person answers