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
Estate Planning AttorneyGive Your Family Clear Answers, Not a Court Battle.
Wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, drafted as one plan by one attorney — then funded, filed, and reviewed for as long as you need them.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri estate planning attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so your plan is built around your real finances, not a generic form.
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
Find the Right Document
Every document below is drafted as part of one connected plan — never in isolation.
Names guardians for your children and directs who receives what. The starting point for every plan.
Learn about Wills →Names who can act for you — financially and medically — the moment you can't.
Learn about Power of Attorney →Moves what you own out of probate and under terms you control — start here if you're not sure which type fits.
Learn about Trusts →A revocable trust you control during your life that avoids probate at your death — if it's funded.
Learn about Living Trusts →Protects an inheritance for a loved one with a disability without disqualifying their benefits.
Learn about Special Needs Trusts →Shields what you've built from future creditors and lawsuits.
Learn about Asset Protection Trusts →Directs part of your estate to a cause you care about, often with a tax benefit.
Learn about Charitable Trusts →Controls how and when a child receives an inheritance, instead of a lump sum at eighteen.
Learn about Trusts for Minor Children →Names a caretaker and sets aside funds for your pet's care after you're gone.
Learn about Pet Trusts →Not sure how this applies to your situation?
Call 636-214-0546What we watch for
Common Mistakes We Watch For
Most estate plans fail for reasons that have nothing to do with how they were written. Here's what we check for, every time.
A will alone says nothing about who manages your care or money if you're incapacitated before you pass. We pair it with powers of attorney so nothing is left uncovered.
Signed and notarized, then never retitled — probate runs anyway. We don't close a file until every account and deed is confirmed in the trust's name.
Banks reject outdated forms. We review yours every year so it still reflects your actual accounts.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri estate planning attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so your plan is built around your real finances, not a generic form.
Pricing
How We Price an Estate Plan
Most plans are a flat fee, set before you commit to anything. 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 Plan Gets Built
Property, accounts, business interests, and family situation — in one real meeting.
1
We map everything you own
Property, accounts, business interests, and family situation — in one real meeting.
2
We draft it as one plan
Will, trust, and powers of attorney — written to work together, not as separate errands.
3
We fund it
Accounts retitled, deeds recorded, beneficiaries verified — checked, not assumed.
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 across every part of your plan, since wills, trusts, and powers of attorney all get checked against your actual finances, not just drafted as paperwork.
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
The process of deciding who receives your property, who manages your affairs if you can't, and who cares for your children — put into legally binding documents like a will, trust, and powers of attorney.
Most people need a will, a power of attorney, a healthcare directive, and often a living trust. The right combination depends on your assets and family situation.
Yes. A "pourover" will catches anything left outside the trust and names guardians for minor children — something a trust alone can't do.
A will takes effect after you pass and goes through probate. A living trust holds your property while you're alive and passes it directly — without probate, if it's actually funded.
State law decides for you. Property is split by a fixed formula, and a court — not you — picks a guardian for minor children.
It depends on what you own and how complex your family is. Call for a free 30-minute consultation and you'll get a flat fee before you commit to anything.
As soon as you own property, have minor children, or want a say in who manages your care if you can't. There's no minimum age or net worth requirement.
Every year, and after any major life change — a marriage, a divorce, a new child, a move, or a significant change in assets.
Ready to Build Your Plan?
Call to schedule your free 30-minute consultation with Deborah — no obligation.
Call 636-214-0546Free 30-minute consultationNo obligationReal person answers