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Estate Planning
We help individuals and families throughout Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas create legal plans that reflect their goals and prepare for the future with clarity.
Overview
You may have been meaning to create an estate plan for years. Maybe retirement is approaching, your family has grown, you’ve welcomed a grandchild, purchased a home, or a recent life event reminded you that it’s time to put your wishes in writing. Whatever brings you here, working with an experienced estate planning attorney can help you make informed decisions with confidence.
Estate planning brings together the legal documents that help protect your family, your finances, and your future if life doesn’t go as planned. At Pearson Bollman Law, we work with individuals and families throughout Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas to create legal plans that reflect their goals, explain their wishes, and prepare for the future with clarity.
Name who receives your property, who settles your estate, and who would raise your minor children, so those decisions stay with you instead of a court.
Choose the people who can manage your finances and make health care decisions for you during an illness or injury, and give them clear instructions.
A coordinated plan can reduce delay, expense, and uncertainty for the people who will settle your affairs, and help prevent disagreements.
You don’t need the legal terminology before you begin. We’ll explain your options in plain language, answer your questions, and guide you through each step so you can make decisions that feel right for you and the people you care about.
Prefer to talk first? Call (515) 727-0986 or the office nearest you.
Planning tools
Every person’s circumstances are different, so every estate plan should reflect the people, property, and priorities that matter most to them. Depending on your goals, your plan may include several legal documents that work together.
01
A will directs how your property should be distributed after your death, names the person you trust to settle your estate, and allows you to nominate guardians for minor children. In most cases, a will is administered through probate, the court-supervised process for settling an estate.
02
A trust is a legal arrangement that allows assets to be managed according to your instructions. Depending on the type of trust used and how assets are titled, a trust may simplify the transfer of certain assets and provide additional flexibility for managing property over time.
03
A financial power of attorney authorizes someone you trust to handle financial matters on your behalf under the circumstances described in the document. Having this authority in place can make it easier for someone to act if you become unable to manage your own affairs.
04
Advance directives communicate your health care wishes and allow you to appoint someone you trust to make medical decisions if you cannot speak for yourself. The specific documents and requirements vary by state.
05
For veterans and surviving spouses, a properly structured trust may help protect assets while planning for VA pension benefits. Eligibility rules are specific, so an attorney should review your situation.
06
Some assets, including certain retirement accounts and life insurance policies, transfer according to beneficiary designations rather than a will. Reviewing these designations as part of your overall estate planning strategy helps your documents work together as intended.
Comparison
Many families use both: a revocable living trust to hold most assets and a will to cover anything left outside it and to nominate guardians. Here’s a general comparison. The right choice depends on your goals, your assets, and your state’s law.
| Will | Revocable living trust | |
|---|---|---|
| When it takes effect | At death | As soon as it is signed and assets are transferred into it |
| Probate | Generally administered through probate | Assets properly titled to the trust generally pass without probate |
| Privacy | Filed with the court and generally part of the public record | Generally remains private |
| If you become incapacitated | No effect during your lifetime | Your successor trustee can manage trust assets |
| Guardians for minor children | Yes, you can nominate guardians | No, usually paired with a will for this |
| Setup | Fewer steps up front | More steps up front, including retitling assets into the trust |
General information only, not legal advice for your situation.
Why Pearson Bollman Law
Estate planning involves important personal decisions, but it shouldn’t feel overwhelming.
Pearson Bollman Law is committed to making the process easier to understand through clear communication, practical guidance, and a step-by-step approach tailored to each client’s circumstances. Rather than handing you a stack of documents, we take the time to explain your options so you can move forward with confidence.
When you work with Pearson Bollman Law, you can expect:
How it works
A clear, step-by-step approach from your first conversation to a finished plan, and support for keeping it current.
01
We begin by learning about your family, your assets, and what matters most to you, so your plan is built around your goals.
02
We’ll explain the planning tools that may fit your situation, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives, in plain English so you understand what each document is designed to accomplish.
03
Your attorney prepares documents tailored to your decisions and the laws of your state.
04
We walk through each document with you, answer your questions, and make sure everything is signed and witnessed correctly.
05
If your plan includes a trust, assets need to be titled to it or coordinated with beneficiary designations for it to work as intended. We explain what to transfer and how.
06
Marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, a move, or a change in your assets can all affect your plan. We recommend reviewing it every few years and after major life events.
Request a free initial consultation with Pearson Bollman Law.
Planning for every stage of life
Your plan should fit your life now and adapt as it changes. These are some of the situations families bring to us most often.
Nominate guardians for your children, decide who will manage what they inherit, and choose when they receive it.
Provide for a spouse and for children from a prior relationship without leaving the outcome to state law or chance.
Coordinate your will or trust with retirement accounts and beneficiary designations, and plan ahead for long-term care.
Plan for who will run or inherit the farm or business, and how to keep it working for the next generation.
Choose who manages your affairs and who inherits, rather than leaving those decisions to state law.
Explore planning that may help protect assets while preparing for VA pension benefits.
Local knowledge
Estate planning is governed by state law. Signing requirements, probate procedures, and state taxes differ from one state to the next, so your documents should be prepared by an attorney licensed where you live.
IA
Five offices: West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Bettendorf, and Milford. Iowa repealed its inheritance tax for deaths on or after January 1, 2025.
IL
Served by attorneys licensed in Illinois from our Dubuque and Bettendorf offices. Illinois has its own estate tax, with an exemption far lower than the federal exemption.
KS
Our Overland Park office serves families across the Kansas City metro. Kansas does not currently impose a state estate or inheritance tax.
MO
Served from our Overland Park office by an attorney licensed in Missouri. Missouri does not currently impose a state estate or inheritance tax.
General information only, not legal advice. Tax links open official government websites. See our attorney licensure page for the states in which each attorney is admitted.
Our team
West Des Moines & MilfordLicensed in Iowa
West Des MoinesLicensed in Iowa
West Des MoinesLicensed in Iowa
West Des MoinesLicensed in Iowa
DubuqueLicensed in Iowa & Illinois
DubuqueLicensed in Iowa
Cedar Rapids & BettendorfLicensed in Iowa & Illinois
BettendorfLicensed in Iowa & Illinois
Overland ParkLicensed in Kansas, Missouri & Iowa
Locations
Meet with an attorney at any of our six offices in Iowa and Kansas.
Glossary
Related services
Planning for long-term care, Medicaid eligibility and the needs of aging loved ones.
Guiding families through probate and trust administration after a loved one passes.
Representing individuals when disagreements arise involving an estate, trust, fiduciary, or inheritance.
Estate planning FAQ
General information only. Schedule a free consultation for advice about your situation.
Yes. Estate planning is about more than the value of your assets. It also allows you to name trusted decision-makers, communicate your wishes, plan for incapacity, and nominate guardians for minor children.
A will directs how certain property should be distributed after your death and may be administered through probate. A trust is a legal arrangement for managing assets according to your instructions. The right approach depends on your goals and individual circumstances.
If you die without an estate plan, state law determines how certain property is distributed. That process may not reflect your personal wishes or your family’s unique circumstances.
Review your plan every three to five years, and any time your life changes, such as a marriage, divorce, birth, death in the family, acquire or sell property, or significant change in your assets. Laws also change, and a review helps keep your documents working as intended.
The cost depends on the planning tools that fit your circumstances and goals. During your free initial consultation, we’ll explain your options and discuss fees before any work begins.
Yes. Wills and revocable living trusts can be updated or replaced while you have capacity. Changes should be made formally, with the required signatures, rather than by writing on the original documents.
A general list of your assets and how they are titled, any existing estate planning documents, and the names of the people you are considering as beneficiaries, guardians, and decision-makers. If you don’t have everything, that’s fine. We’ll tell you what else is useful.
Free resources
Free masterclass
Short classes on estate planning, long-term care, probate, and trust administration, presented by Pearson Bollman Law attorneys.
Free guide
A free guide to help you organize your information and prepare for a conversation about your plan.
Newsletter
Planning tips, law updates, and firm news delivered to your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whether you’re creating an estate plan for the first time or updating documents that no longer reflect your life, Pearson Bollman Law is here to provide clear guidance every step of the way. Your initial consultation is free.
