--- title: Generational Wealth Planning in St. Louis | Belmont Private Wealth description: "How St. Louis families pass wealth to the next generation: fee-only planning that keeps the money invested well, the documents current, and the family ready." --- [Skip to content](https://www.belmontpw.com/generational-wealth#main) [![Belmont Private Wealth](https://www.belmontpw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BELMONT%20LOGO%202.5%20WIDE%20RGB.jpg?width=751&height=187&name=BELMONT%20LOGO%202.5%20WIDE%20RGB.jpg)](https://www.belmontpw.com/?hsLang=en) [Business Owners](https://www.belmontpw.com/business-owners?hsLang=en) [Generational Wealth](https://www.belmontpw.com/generational-wealth?hsLang=en) [Services](https://www.belmontpw.com/services?hsLang=en) [Fees](https://www.belmontpw.com/work-with-us#fees) [About](https://www.belmontpw.com/about?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://www.belmontpw.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Client login](https://belmontpw.portal.tamaracinc.com/) [Schedule a call](https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/04009a89ec8b47738567c089b76117e6%40belmontpw.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true) [Business Owners](https://www.belmontpw.com/business-owners?hsLang=en) [Generational Wealth](https://www.belmontpw.com/generational-wealth?hsLang=en) [Services](https://www.belmontpw.com/services?hsLang=en) [Fees](https://www.belmontpw.com/work-with-us#fees) [About](https://www.belmontpw.com/about?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://www.belmontpw.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Client login](https://belmontpw.portal.tamaracinc.com/) Generational wealth | St. Louis # Generational wealth planning for St. Louis families The old saying is shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations. It doesn't have to go that way for your family. Belmont Private Wealth is a fee-only fiduciary that helps you pass on what you've built: money invested well, the right documents in place, and a next generation that knows the plan. [Schedule a call](https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/04009a89ec8b47738567c089b76117e6%40belmontpw.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true)[See our fees](https://www.belmontpw.com/fees?hsLang=en) [Home](https://www.belmontpw.com/?hsLang=en) › Generational Wealth ## What is generational wealth planning? Generational wealth planning means making sure the money you've built outlives you and does what you intend: it reaches the people you choose, without unnecessary taxes, court delays, or confusion, and the people who receive it know what to do next. At Belmont, that work has three parts: keep the family wealthy, keep the documents right, and make sure someone can carry on the plan. ![A mature oak tree standing in an open meadow](https://www.belmontpw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/belmontpw/placeholder-oak.jpg?width=1800&height=1200&name=placeholder-oak.jpg) ## Keeping the family wealthy Passing wealth on starts with not running out of it. We manage the money with more than one lifetime in view and show you, in plain numbers, what you can spend, give, and leave. - **Investing for more than one lifetime.** A diversified portfolio built mainly from low-cost index funds and ETFs, matched to when the money will actually be needed, which for part of it may be decades from now. - **A spending and giving plan.** How much you can give to children and grandchildren now and still be financially independent for the rest of your life. Many families find they can give more, sooner, than they thought. - **Leaving the right accounts to the right people.** A Roth IRA, a regular IRA, and a taxable account are taxed very differently in your heirs' hands. Deciding who inherits which account can save a family real money, and it's a decision that costs nothing to change. - **Taxes, with your CPA.** We look for ways to keep more of what you pass on, such as Roth conversions in lower-income years and giving in tax-smart ways, and we work alongside the CPA who prepares your returns. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. ## The right documents, in place and up to date We don't draft wills or trusts; your estate attorney does. Our job is to make sure the documents say what you actually want, that every account matches them, and that nothing has gone stale. - **The basics, checked.** A will, powers of attorney for finances and health care, and a trust where one is useful. We review what you have and flag what's missing before you see the attorney, so your time there is spent well. - **Beneficiary forms that match the plan.** The beneficiary form on a retirement account or life insurance policy overrides your will. An out-of-date form is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes we see. - **Account titles that match the plan.** A trust only works for assets that are actually in it. We help you retitle accounts and keep new ones consistent with the plan. - **A review when life changes.** Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, and moves across state lines all change what the documents should say. ## Someone who can carry on the plan In many families, one person handles the money. The plan has to work on the day that person can't. We make sure it does. - **One page the family can find.** Where every account is, what it's for, and who to call, kept current so nobody has to go hunting through mail and passwords. - **Both spouses in the room.** We meet with both of you, so the spouse who doesn't love spreadsheets still knows the plan and knows us. - **Introducing the next generation.** When you're ready, we meet your children or heirs, so that when they inherit, they're calling someone they already know. - **Help when it happens.** When a client dies, we help the family with the steps that follow: claims, retitling, required distributions, and the questions nobody wants to figure out alone. ## Who we work with We work with families in and around St. Louis who want what they've built to last beyond them, often parents and grandparents in or near retirement, and frequently alongside the [business owners we serve](https://www.belmontpw.com/business-owners?hsLang=en). \[CONFIRM: describe the typical family you want this page to attract, for example assets passing on, ages, or situations\] ## How we're paid Belmont is fee-only. Our annual fee is a percentage of the assets we manage, starting at 1.00% on the first $1 million and stepping down to 0.40% above $25 million. Ongoing financial planning, including generational planning, is included at no additional cost. We don't earn commissions, and we aren't paid by the attorneys, CPAs, or other professionals we work with. [See the full fee schedule →](https://www.belmontpw.com/fees?hsLang=en) ## Questions families ask us ### Do I need a trust, or is a will enough? It depends on what you own and what you want to happen. A will says who gets what, but it goes through probate, a court process that is public and can take months. A trust can pass assets outside probate and can set terms, such as paying money out in stages. Many families need both, and some need only a will with good beneficiary forms. We help you decide what you need; your attorney drafts it. ### Will my children pay taxes on their inheritance? Usually less than people fear. Missouri imposes no estate or inheritance tax for deaths on or after January 1, 2005, per the [Missouri Department of Revenue](https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/individual/tax-types/estate.html). The federal estate tax applies only above $15 million per person, $30 million for a married couple, for deaths in 2026, per the [IRS](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estate-tax). Most inherited investments also get a step-up in cost basis, so the gains built up during your lifetime generally aren't taxed at your death. The big exception is retirement accounts: most heirs other than a spouse must empty an inherited IRA or 401(k) within 10 years and pay income tax on the pre-tax portion as they go. And if you or your heirs are in Illinois, its estate tax applies above a $4 million exclusion, per the Illinois Attorney General, which administers that tax. Figures as of October 2026; we review them against the official sources each year. Planning around these rules is a large part of what we do. ### How do I keep an inheritance from being spent too quickly? Partly documents, partly preparation. A trust can pay money out in stages or for specific purposes instead of all at once, with a trustee you choose. Just as important is letting your children practice with smaller amounts while you're alive, when a mistake is affordable and you're there to talk about it. ### How do I avoid probate? Much of a typical estate can pass outside probate already: retirement accounts and life insurance go by beneficiary form, and most banks and brokerages offer payable-on-death or transfer-on-death registration. A revocable living trust can keep the rest out of court. We map which of your assets would go through probate today, and what would change that. ### My spouse handles all of our money. What happens if something happens to them? This is one of the most common worries we hear, and it's exactly what the plan is for. Both spouses meet with us, both know where everything is, and if one of you dies or can't manage things, the other is working with an advisor they already know, not starting from scratch. ### When should our children meet you? Whenever you're comfortable, and ideally before they inherit. Some clients bring adult children into a meeting once a year; others simply ask us to be the name their kids call first. Either way, the handoff goes better when it isn't a cold call. ### Are you a fiduciary? Yes. As an SEC-registered investment adviser, Belmont must act in your best interest and must not put its interests ahead of yours. Our [Form CRS](https://www.belmontpw.com/hubfs/belmontpw/belmont-form-crs.pdf?hsLang=en) explains how we're paid and the conflicts that creates. ### Who will I work with? Your advisor will be one of Belmont's founders, James Pieper, CFP®, who leads our generational planning work, or John Rhodes, CFP®, ChSNC®, with support from Brad Bishop. \[CONFIRM: is James the lead advisor for generational planning clients?\] [Meet the team →](https://www.belmontpw.com/about?hsLang=en) ### Where do we meet? At our office at 100 Chesterfield Business Pkwy, Suite 200, Chesterfield, MO 63005, or by video if that's easier. \[CONFIRM: do you meet by video?\] ## Start with a conversation Tell us what you want your money to do after you, and who you want it to reach. We'll explain how we would help and what it would cost. [Schedule a call](https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/04009a89ec8b47738567c089b76117e6%40belmontpw.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true) ![John Rhodes](https://www.belmontpw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/belmontpw/john-rhodes.jpg?width=56&height=56&name=john-rhodes.jpg)![James Pieper](https://www.belmontpw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/belmontpw/james-pieper.jpg?width=56&height=56&name=james-pieper.jpg)You'll meet with a Belmont founder: John Rhodes, CFP®, or James Pieper, CFP® Last updated October 2026 [BELMONTPRIVATE WEALTH](https://www.belmontpw.com/?hsLang=en) Fee-only financial planning and investment management for business owners and for families passing wealth to the next generation, in the St. Louis area. 100 Chesterfield Business Pkwy, Suite 200 Chesterfield, MO 63005 #### Explore - [Business Owners](https://www.belmontpw.com/business-owners?hsLang=en) - [Generational Wealth](https://www.belmontpw.com/generational-wealth?hsLang=en) - [Services](https://www.belmontpw.com/services?hsLang=en) - [Fees](https://www.belmontpw.com/work-with-us#fees) - [About](https://www.belmontpw.com/about?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://www.belmontpw.com/contact?hsLang=en) - [Client login](https://belmontpw.portal.tamaracinc.com/) #### Disclosures - [Form CRS](https://www.belmontpw.com/hubfs/belmontpw/belmont-form-crs.pdf?hsLang=en) - [Form ADV Part 2A](https://www.belmontpw.com/hubfs/belmontpw/belmont-adv-part-2a-2026-01-16.pdf?hsLang=en) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.belmontpw.com/hubfs/belmontpw/belmont-privacy-policy-2026-01-16.pdf?hsLang=en) - [SEC adviser record](https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/331436) #### Contact - [jrhodes@belmontpw.com](mailto:jrhodes@belmontpw.com) - [jpieper@belmontpw.com](mailto:jpieper@belmontpw.com) - [Schedule a call](https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/04009a89ec8b47738567c089b76117e6%40belmontpw.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true) Belmont Private Wealth LLC is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (CRD #331436). 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