Estate Planning
Planning for your ideal future
There is a common misconception that an estate plan is only necessary for individuals with substantial assets. The reality is that an estate plan can benefit virtually everyone. From identifying your final wishes to protecting your rights if you become incapacitated, the right estate plan could be essential to protecting your future interests.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Developing a plan for your family’s future
One of our experienced estate planning attorneys can advise you on the benefits of estate planning and help you develop a plan that fits your unique needs. This process could not only protect your rights, but also give you peace of mind. Let our estate planning lawyers assist you with this process from start to finish.
If you are just starting to explore estate planning, our webinar, “You Need A Plan,” might be a helpful resource. Register to watch.
PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND
Your Wishes
Creating your estate plan is so much more than just having a set of documents drafted. Our professional estate planning attorneys will work with you to identify your wishes for your assets, healthcare, and remains. A well-thought-out estate plan is a gift to your family that can help protect your assets through generational transfer and give you peace of mind.
EDUCATING & PLANNING
Adult Children
Your young, healthy adult children need an estate plan. Hear me out. If your child were to become incapacitated, would you have access to their hospital information, would you be able to make decisions, would you know what they want done? Once your child reaches 18 years of age, they are considered a legal adult. Our estate planning attorneys can work with your newly minted adult and help ensure their wishes and possible wealth are protected.
DISTRIBUTING THE ESTATE
Probate
You have likely heard the term probate, but if you have never dealt with an estate, you may not understand what it is and whether or not it is something you should try to avoid for your family.
In the simplest possible terms, probate is the court process of distributing the estate of the deceased. If a will exists, the probate process confirms the will is valid and allows the executor to take action to follow the wishes the decedent outlined in it. If there is no will, the law will be applied to determine how the estate and affairs should be handled, and the court will appoint an executor.
Unlike many states, Washington has a reasonably easy probate process. Washington’s probate process is streamlined and efficient. Depending on your circumstances, it may not be worth trying to avoid. It is best to talk with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys to understand the complexity of your assets and your wishes to determine your best course of action.
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FURTHER READING
Blog Posts
Family law and estate planning often intersect. This is particularly true when contemplating divorce, remarriage, or blending families.
If you have a significant amount of money saved, you might be considering giving some of it away while you are still alive via what is known in estate planning jargon as a living inheritance. Depending on your desires, you can give your beneficiaries a portion of or all of the inheritance you intend to give them.
Estate planning is commonly associated with preparing for asset distribution and financial management in the event of the estate plan owner’s incapacitation or death. However, an estate plan can protect more than just people and what they have worked so hard during their lifetimes to build. A carefully crafted Washington state estate plan can also protect pets.
If you live in Washington State and have an estranged family member, are you worried about them contesting your will after you die? Well, don’t worry quite yet. There are a variety of criteria an individual must meet to contest a will in the state of Washington.
Depending on your situation, there might also be measures you can take as you revisit your existing estate plan or create a new one to cause them to think twice about doing so. Here is what you need to know about whether an estranged family member can contest a will in Washington state.
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While estate planning is often associated with enjoying assets while you are alive and then preparing for their disposition to inheritors after death, there are more outcomes estate plans can aid in to adequately protect the quality of your life…