Plan Ahead So More of Your Estate Reaches Your Family
Creditor claims, lawsuits, probate costs, and even a child's divorce can take a bite out of what you leave behind. Asset protection planning helps limit that exposure and helps more of your estate reach the people you chose, instead of going to fees and claims.
Bruce Galloway is involved in every estate planning matter, giving each client focused, experienced attention from an attorney with over three decades of practice in Missouri.
- Practicing family and estate law in Missouri since 1996
- Washington University School of Law graduate
- Member, Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association
- Member, Christian County Bar Association
- Serving Ozark, Springfield, Nixa, Branson & all of Southwest Missouri
How Asset Protection Planning Benefits Your Family
Good planning works quietly in the background. It organizes how you own and pass on your property so your family keeps more of it.
Limit Creditor Exposure
How you title your home, accounts, and vehicles affects who can reach them. We review your ownership and recommend changes that fit your situation.
Protect Your Heirs' Inheritance
Leaving assets in a trust instead of outright can help keep an inheritance safe from a child's creditors and from mixing with marital property if your child later divorces.
Reduce Probate Costs and Delays
Assets titled in a properly funded trust generally pass without probate court, which can cut fees and speed up distribution to your family.
Control How Heirs Receive Property
You can release funds in stages, name a trustee to manage them, and set terms that match your family's needs.
Coordinate Your Beneficiary Designations
Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary designation. We review each one so it supports your plan instead of undermining it.
Protect Your Blended Family
If you have a second spouse or children from a prior relationship, the right structure makes sure each person is provided for the way you intend.
Is Asset Protection Planning Right for You?
Planning makes the most sense when you own a home or other real estate, have savings or investment accounts, want to protect what you leave your children, or have a blended family. Starting early gives you the most options.
What Planning Cannot Do
Asset protection planning does not hide assets, erase existing debts, or stop a lawsuit you already face. Missouri law allows courts to undo transfers made to avoid a creditor. Planning works when you do it ahead of time, in good faith, and in the open. If you already face a claim, we tell you at the start of your consultation what planning can and cannot do.
What We Handle
We keep our planning practical. We focus on estates made up of real estate, investment accounts, financial accounts, and vehicles. We do not draft plans that involve complex business assets, and we do not offer arrangements designed to hide assets.
Ready to Prepare Your Family?
Schedule a free consultation at our Southwest Missouri office and take the first step toward a plan that keeps more of your estate in your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is asset protection planning?
Asset protection planning is the process of arranging how you own and pass on your property so fewer of your assets are exposed to creditors, probate costs, and other claims. It uses tools such as trusts, proper titling of real estate and accounts, and beneficiary designations. The goal is to help more of your estate reach your family.
Does a revocable living trust protect my assets from creditors?
Not during your life. Because you keep full control of a revocable trust, creditors can generally still reach its assets. A revocable trust helps your family avoid probate, and it can also set up continuing trusts that add protection for your heirs after you die. We explain which tools fit your goals during your consultation.
Can I protect my assets from a lawsuit or debt I already face?
No. Missouri law allows a court to undo transfers made to hinder or avoid a creditor you already owe or expect to owe. Asset protection planning works when you do it ahead of time, in good faith, and in the open. If you already face a claim, tell us at your consultation so we can be upfront about what planning can and cannot do.
How can I protect my children's inheritance?
You can leave assets in a trust instead of giving them outright. The trust can release funds in stages, name a trustee to manage them, and include protections that can help keep an inheritance from a child's creditors or from mixing with marital property if your child later divorces. We design the terms around your family.
Is asset protection planning legal?
Yes, when you do it honestly and in advance. Legal planning uses recognized tools to organize and title your property. It does not hide assets, avoid taxes you owe, or dodge existing debts, and we do not offer those services.
When should I start asset protection planning?
Start before a claim arises. Planning in the middle of a lawsuit or after a debt comes due can look like an attempt to avoid creditors and may not hold up. Buying a home, marrying or remarrying, building savings, and receiving an inheritance are all good times to review your plan.
How much does asset protection planning cost?
The cost depends on the size of your estate and which tools your plan needs. Your first estate planning consultation is free, so you can learn what your plan involves and what it would cost before you commit.