Creating an estate plan is one of the most important and meaningful gifts you can give to yourself and to your loved ones. Choosing the right estate planning attorney to work with the first step toward creating your plan. If you are a resident of Ballwin, Missouri, the estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matter, LLC would be honored to be selected to help you with all your current and future estate planning needs.
The History of Ballwin, Missouri
The modern day city of Ballwin, Missouri was founded by John Ball. John was the son of James Ball, a recent Irish immigrant, and Mary Bray Ball. The land on which Ballwin now sits was part of a transfer of title of about 400 acres of land along Grande Glaize Creek to John Ball in February, 1800. Ball’s property claim, however, was derived originally from a Spanish land grant. Consequently, the Louisiana Purchase raised doubts about Ball’s property ownership. Ball spent ten years litigating the his claim to the land. After numerous hearings and appeals, John Ball was victorious and won his legal claim to the land that would eventually become the town of Ballwin.
Several years after winning his legal battle over the land, the capital of the State of Missouri was moved to Jefferson City. That change caused the need for an overland mail route between St. Louis and the new state capital. The road established to deliver mail passed by John Ball’s property. Ball decided to capitalize on the accessibility the road provided to his property and began plans to establish a town on his land.
An interesting tidbit about the town’s name is that it was originally recorded as “Ballshow”, but two days later, on February 9, 1837, Ball amended the recorded plat to “Ballwin.” No one knows for sure why the name was changed, but one of John Ball’s great grandsons says it was the result of a rivalry with neighboring Manchester. John Ball saw great things ahead for his new town and was confident that it would “win out” in reputation and growth over its older and more prominent neighbor, two miles to the east. Hence the “win” was incorporated into the name. Over the next century, the town of Ballwin grew slowly, reaching a population of just 750 residents when the town was finally incorporated in 1950. The latter half of the 20th century, however, saw steady growth for the city, bringing the population to over 25,000 residents by the turn of the 21st century.
Ballwin, Missouri Today
Located in St. Louis County, Missouri, the City of Ballwin is one of St. Louis’s many “bedroom communities.” Over the first decade of the 21st century, the City of Ballwin has continued to grow, reaching a resident population of over 32,000 as of the 201 Census. As a suburb of St. Louis, however, the population of Ballwin in part of the Greater St. Loui’s area’s three million residents. Those who call the City of Ballwin home are fortunate to live in one of the “100 best placed to live in America,” according to Money magazine in 2005, 2011, and again in 2013. The city’s proximity to St. Louis offers five star dining, upscale shopping, and cultural attractions within a short car ride. At the same time, residents of Ballwin enjoy the neighborhood feel of a smaller town with its slower pace of life and friendly atmosphere.
Amen, Gantner & Capriano in the Ballwin, Missouri Community
At Amen, Gantner & Capriano, our experienced estate planning attorneys are proud to serve the legal needs of the Ballwin, Missouri community. We understand that choosing an attorney to help you create your estate plan can be a difficult, and sometimes stressful, process given the importance of the finished product. We are committed to helping you create an estate plan that addresses all of your concerns and achieves all of your goals. Moreover, our goal is to develop an ongoing relationship with each client to help ensure that the client’s estate plan will remain current and effective in the years to come.
Creating ongoing relationships with our clients is important because estate planning is not something that is accomplished in a single meeting. On the contrary, your estate plan should be reviewed and revised throughout your lifetime as events transpire that should warrant changes to your plan. We hope to be there with you for all those important events to help ensure that your estate plan accounts for those changes. Marriage and/or parenthood, for example, may bring with it the need to include a trust in your estate plan along with incapacity planning strategies and probate avoidance tools. As the value of your estate grows, you may need to consider adding asset protection strategies into your plan. Your retirement plan will also need to be merged with your estate plan to ensure that the two plans work in harmony with one another. Finally, as you look toward your “Golden Years,” the need to include Medicaid planning and funeral planning to your comprehensive estate plan should be discussed. 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 plan, contact the experienced Missouri estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC by calling (314) 966-8077 to schedule an appointment.
