One reason to create an estate plan while young is to protect the life insurance payouts you intend to go to specific beneficiaries. Let us help you learn more.
Both trusts are important in estate planning. Learn more about how each is different but useful depending on your estate planning needs and goals, which can change throughout a lifetime.
Learn which decisions about “who gets what” fall outside of a Will and the steps you need to make sure your wishes are preserved.
Many people fail to prepare for what could happen should they become incapacitated or die during their divorce. Learn how to protect your assets and wishes.
Thinking about what will happen after you die isn’t fun. But legal adults, no matter how young or old, need a basic estate plan.
If you’re currently going through a divorce in Washington State, you’re probably digging through piles of papers looking for bills, statements, and other important documents. During that search, most people, however, forget to revisit their estate planning documents. Learn why you should.
It’s important to visit your physician when you notice some change in your health. A medical checkup offers you a chance to discuss issues with your doctor, ask questions, and get professional input on your overall health. Like your annual checkup with your doctor, a regular review of your estate plan with your attorney will help you minimize the risk of future unexpected hardships that might arise from incomplete or outdated documents.
Probate is the court-supervised process of gathering your assets, paying off your debts and taxes, and distributing what’s left of your estate to your heirs and beneficiaries. However, that doesn’t have to include all assets. Your retirement and investment assets have the potential to bypass probate if located in the type of accounts that can transfer upon death to a designated beneficiary. When considering whether to include your retirement and investment accounts in your estate plan, here’s what you need to know.
Stanley, 73 years old, recently passed away. He never married or had any children. Stanley lived alone in his home and was self-sufficient until his health began to decline last year. Not wishing to burden his nieces and nephews, Stanley took it upon himself to hire a home health aide to come to his home and care for him. The pandemic restrictions prevented his niece, Cathy, with whom he had always had a close relationship, from visiting him. However, she called often. She even made an effort to see him but was only allowed window visits by the care worker and never provided the opportunity for in-person visits before his death. Cathy had no idea her uncle was being neglected and abused. To prevent a similar scenario from happening to you or someone you love, here’s what you should know.
The percentage of children who live in a single-parent household has increased significantly. While estate planning for single parents is similar to estate planning for families with two parents, you should take special consideration and outline specific provisions in your estate plan if you’re a single parent due to death, divorce, or life choice. If you’re a single parent, estate planning should become a high priority.