Stephen C. Jones

Stephen focuses his practice on protecting the assets that families have worked a lifetime to accumulate. After watching his grandparents battle through the Alzheimer’s disease progression, he understands first hand the type of financial devastation that lays in wait for the unprepared. For this reason, he has made it his personal mission to make sure his clients are educated and prepared to take the steps necessary to protect their life’s work.

“No one should have to suffer through the loss of their family business and life savings like my grandparents as a result of an illness, a regressive tax system or frivolous litigation.”

Stephen works closely with individuals and their families to protect their life savings and businesses from such risks as long term care costs, increasing income and estate taxes, and litigation.

“My favorite moment during a Vision Meeting with a client and their family is when they understand that they have options that will allow them to continue living their lives with the dignity that they have earned, while at the same time protecting their hard work. Education and a message of hope are the two most powerful things we share with our potential clients.”

Stephen’s life experiences have positioned him to guide his client’s through the asset protection process. Prior to founding Jones Elder Law, LLC, he worked for several years in a large St. Louis law practice where he worked intimately with high net worth individuals ($15 million plus net worth) to design and implement plans to minimize their tax exposure and business risk.

“I loved working with these clients and learning the cutting edge legal techniques that would help our clients. At the end of the day, however, the clients I worked with were through someone else’s relationship. What I was missing was the ability to forge the close bond between a client and one of their trusted advisors. At Jones Elder Law we form an essential part of a team including Jones Elder Law along with their tax and financial advisors. We are not just advising a client but we are helping guide a friend and family that we care about.”

At Jones Elder Law we form an essential part of a team which also includes their tax and financial advisors. Stephen takes the time to listen and get all the details of your personal situation. What are your goals? What are your concerns?

“Jones Elder Law develops an individual plan for every client’s situation. We are not talking about the type of planning where every client that walks in the door gets a Living Trust just like the last five clients did.”

The level of planning that Jones Elder Law engages in with our client’s cannot be done in a vacuum. As a result, Stephen also engages your tax advisor and your financial advisor so that your entire team is working in unison to develop the best strategy to achieve your goals. The proper plan for a family must include input from the legal advisor, financial advisor and tax advisor. That is what Jones Elder Law calls the Trusted Advisor Team.

“I cannot encourage folks enough to reach out to us and learn about your options as individuals or perhaps as an existing trusted advisors that may have a client in need. I learn something nearly every day from my clients and their existing trusted advisors. It is my pleasure to sit down with families and their advisory team and discuss their concerns and what solutions Jones Elder Law, LLC may be able to bring to the table.”

Stephen’s education has positioned him perfectly to offer his clients this type of counseling. He attended St. Louis University School of Law earning his Juris Doctorate (Magna Cum Laude) while graduating fifth in his class. Prior to that Stephen attended the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University where he was awarded an Advanced Corporate Financial Strategies Certificate. Stephen also received a Master of Business Administration (with highest honors) from the University of West Virginia. His educational background makes him eminently qualified to help families plan their financial future and survive periods of financial crisis.

AWARDS

Stephen was designated as one of Missouri’s Top Lawyer’s by Best Lawyer magazine. He has been a frequent lecturer for National Business Institute educating other attorneys on elder law and asset protection planning.

Stephen is a member of the Wealth Counsel, Elder Counsel, Task Force for Senior Fairness, and numerous other legal associations.

Stephen enjoys spending time with his family. You will often find them as a group at their home at Lake of the Ozarks boating and wakeboarding. When he is not with his family or at work, Stephen enjoys golfing and fishing. Stephen notes that he is miserable while jogging but he does it anyway.