Preservation | Family Wealth Protection & Planning

Each year, Greensfelder hosts a fall Estate Planning Symposium that addresses recent developments in estate planning. At the 2019 symposium, Trusts & Estates attorney Keith Herman presented on recent developments in asset protection.

As a follow-up to Keith’s presentation, we are pleased to present a three-part blog series that touches upon the lessons learned from several recent case law developments that impact asset protection planning. The topics include the importance of timing when protecting assets from creditors, when to name an irrevocable trust as beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement account, and why using trusts for divorce protection may not be enough.

Retirement accounts are a seemingly simple and effective way to protect assets from future creditors, but the subtle nuances of what is protected under Missouri law and what is protected in bankruptcy can be complex. In the July/August 2019 edition of the Journal of the Missouri Bar, attorneys Keith Herman and Jeffrey Herman analyze how you can use retirement accounts for asset protection and the potential loopholes to avoid.