If you have yet to create an estate plan, there is no time like the present to get started. A well thought out estate plan can accomplish a number of important goals, including creating a framework for the division of your estate assets upon your death, protecting you and your family in the event of your incapacity, and ensuring that your loved ones are provided for when you are gone. If you are a resident of Valley Park, Missouri, the estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matter, LLC would be honored to help you create a personalized plan that will accomplish all of your estate planning goals.
Valley Park, Missouri
Located about 15 miles west of St. Louis, and covering just over four square miles, the area now known as Valley Park, Missouri was once home to descendants of the Mississippian culture. Upon the arrival of French and German immigrants in the mid-1700s, however, the Native Americans were pushed out of the area. Before settling on the name “Valley Park” around 1890, the town was known by several other names, including Sulphur Springs, Quinette, and Meramec. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the fledgling town developed as a railroad hub for the Missouri Pacific and St. Louis-San Francisco rail lines as well as a popular summer resort destination. St. Louis families would board the trains for summer vacations, weekends, or second family homes along the Meramec River. Clubhouses were built on the banks of the Meramec. Some of those clubhouses stood until the 1990s. At one time, as many as 70 trains would pass through Valley Park on any given day. The town’s proximity to the Meramec River, along with the railroads, helped it become a center for industry by the turn of the 20th century. Sadly, during the Great Flood of 1915, the main bridge was destroyed, as were the huge factories along the river and the town never fully recovered, although it was incorporated in 1917.
As of the 2010 Census, the City of Valley Park was home to approximately 7,000 residents. Several parks can be found within the city limits, including Vance Trails, Leonard, and Brignole parks, and Meramec Landing for anglers and boaters. Simpson St. Louis County Park and Lake and Lone Elk County Park, featuring a wild bird sanctuary, are also within the city limits. A massive levee project currently underway will result in trails on top, overlooking the Meramec River for hiking and biking, as part of the Ozark Greenway Trails.
Amen, Gantner & Capriano in the Valley Park, Missouri Community
At Amen, Gantner & Capriano are honored to assist our friends and neighbors in the Valley Park community with their estate planning needs. Because we understand the benefit of creating lifelong relationships with our estate planning clients, we believe in working one on one with each client in an effort to build that lasting partnership. As you move through the various stages of your life, and your estate becomes more complicated and complex, changes will need to be made to your estate plan in order to keep up. We hope to be there with you to ensure those changes are accounted for in your estate plan.
Although a successful estate plan requires a solid foundation, that foundation must then be built upon to fortify the foundation. The plan you create when you are young, single, and just beginning your career will not be sufficient to meet your needs later in life when you have a family and a larger estate to consider. Routine reviews and revisions are crucial to ensure that your estate plan reflects your life as it is now, not as it was several years ago. The focus of your initial estate plan, for example, may simply be to ensure that you do not leave behind an intestate estate. Consequently, a Last Will and Testament may be all you need. As you move through the various stages of your life, however, that Will may become inadequate to protect your assets and your loved ones. Deciding to marry and/or become a parent, for example, will necessitate additions to your initial plan as you now have a family to protect and provide for in your plan. At that point, you may decide to create a trust to protect your minor child’s inheritance, for example, as well as incorporate incapacity planning into your overall plan. As the value of your estate grows, you will need to consider tax avoidance and asset protection tools as well. Finally, as you look toward your “Golden Years,” you will want to incorporate your retirement plans into your estate plan and add Medicaid planning to your comprehensive estate plan along with funeral and burial planning tools to ensure that your final wishes are honored.
The estate planning team at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC would be honored to be your choice to help you create an estate plan that achieves all your unique estate planning needs and goals.
Contact Us
If you have additional questions or concerns about estate planning, or wish to get started with your Valley Park, Missouri estate plan, contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC by calling (314) 966-8077 to schedule an appointment.
