Virtual Estate Planning in Missouri

Virtual Estate Planning

For decades, planning your estate in Missouri meant a calendar of in-person appointments. As of August 28, 2025, that’s no longer the only way — Missouri now lets you create, sign, and notarize a complete estate plan without ever leaving your home.

This first post in our series explains what the new law actually permits, who benefits most, and where the real cautions lie. If you’ve been putting off your will because the logistics felt overwhelming, this is the post for you.

What Changed on August 28, 2025

Missouri enacted the Electronic Wills and Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act (Sections 474.540 through 474.564 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri). In plain terms, the law gives electronic estate planning documents the same legal force as traditional paper documents signed with wet ink.

That covers more than just wills. Under the new law, Missourians can prepare, sign, and store the core documents of a complete plan online, including:

• Last wills and testaments
• Revocable living trusts
• Financial powers of attorney
• Advance healthcare directives

The change also makes Missouri one of a small group of states to formally recognize fully digital estate plans, putting it ahead of most of the country on this issue.

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How Remote Signing Actually Works

The centerpiece of virtual estate planning is remote online notarization, often called RON. Instead of appearing in person, you, your witnesses, and a commissioned Missouri notary meet over a secure live video connection. Before anything is signed, you verify your identity through the platform, and the entire signing session is recorded and retained as evidence that the document was executed properly.

Missouri has authorized remote online notarization under its notary statutes, and notaries must register specifically as electronic notaries with the Secretary of State before they can conduct these sessions. When the ceremony is done correctly, your electronic will carries the same legal weight as one signed across a desk.

We’ll walk through the signing ceremony in detail in the next post in this series, including how witnesses participate and what identity verification looks like.

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Who Benefits Most

Virtual planning isn’t just a novelty. For several groups of Missourians, it removes barriers that have kept them from planning at all:

• Families spread across state lines. Adult children helping aging parents no longer need to coordinate travel for a single signing.
• Rural residents. If the nearest estate planning attorney is an hour away, the drive is no longer the deciding factor.
• People with limited mobility. Health or transportation challenges no longer stand between you and a finished plan.
• Busy professionals. The whole process can fit around a work schedule rather than requiring time off.

The broader goal is simple: fewer than one in three Americans have a will, and a process that fits real life makes it far more likely you’ll actually finish one.

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The One Caution You Can’t Ignore

Convenience comes with a responsibility that didn’t exist in quite the same way for paper documents.

Under Missouri’s law, if no copy of your electronic will — neither the electronic original nor a certified paper copy — can be located after your death, the will is presumed revoked. A will no one can find is treated as a will you intended to cancel.

This makes secure, retrievable storage essential. The law does allow you to create a certified paper copy of an electronic document by declaring under penalty of perjury that it’s a true representation of the original, and Missouri courts must accept those copies. Part of doing virtual estate planning correctly is making sure your documents are stored somewhere your family can actually reach them when the time comes.

Is This Right for You?

For many Missouri families, the answer is yes, and the convenience is genuinely life-changing. But the right choice depends on your situation: the complexity of your assets, your comfort with technology, and your family circumstances all matter. Some plans are better served by a traditional in-person approach, and we’ll compare the two directly later in this series.

The most important step is the one too many people delay: starting. Whether you plan virtually or in person, having a valid, properly executed, and securely stored estate plan is what protects the people you care about.

This post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change and individual circumstances vary; please consult an attorney about your specific situation.