Estate Plan Check-Up It is always a good idea to review your existing estate plan on a regular basis to ensure that it still accomplishes your goals and reflects your current situation. Even if you don’t have a will yet, you still probably have an “estate plan” of sorts – retirement accounts, life insurance, living …
Tag Archive: will
Oct
11
Washington State Intestacy Laws
What happens when you die without a will in Washington State? In basic terms, instead of your last will specifying how your estate is to be handled, Washington State law determines what happens to your property. Additionally, a court will decide who will act as the guardian of your minor children in the absence of …
Sep
22
Aren’t wills only for old people? (or, Why does a young person need a will?)
As an estate planning attorney you would expect me to say that “everyone needs a will!” and, in fact, I do believe that pretty much everyone should have an estate plan in place. I am going to provide my reasoning for making such a statement and I would like to stress a few additional things …
Aug
10
What to look out for when reviewing your existing estate plan.
Congratulations! You have an existing estate plan in place to protect yourself and your loved ones should anything happen to you. Shockingly, you are in the minority (yes, the majority of Americans do NOT have a will, powers of attorney or health care directives in place) but you can’t control what other people are doing …
Apr
29
When to Update Your Estate Plan: Top 5 Life Events
Your estate plan should be updated after major life events to ensure that the language in your estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, trusts, etc) reflect your personal and financial situation and properly handle the new possibilities created by changes in your life. Your estate planning attorney should be able to handle any necessary …
Apr
27
Estate Planning Steps and Process
Select a few estate planning attorneys that might be a good fit for you. Give them a call and see if they are going to meet your needs regarding budget, availability, expertise and personality fit. (Here’s a previous post on finding an attorney). Make an appointment for sooner rather than later. Finding time for the …
Apr
19
4 Lessons from a Washington First Responder Will Clinic
This last weekend I had the pleasure of participating in the Washington State Bar Association’s Will Clinic for First Responders (police, firefighters, paramedics). As a volunteer lawyer, I had the opportunity to assist in the estate planning (wills, powers of attorney, advanced health care directives) for a couple of families who put their lives on …
Apr
08
How do I find the right attorney in Seattle to make my will?
The good news is that there are lots of attorneys in Seattle who can help you with your will and other estate planning needs. Picking the right attorney for you depends on several factors and ultimately comes down to personality fit. Because you have so many choices of who to go with, no one should …
Apr
05
2011: Estate Planning in Washington State – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good News: Beneficial Changes to Federal Law for 2011 and 2012 After months of negotiations following the lapse of the Federal estate tax for 2010, Congress finally got around to enacting new estate tax rules at the end of last year. On December 17, 2010, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation …
Mar
29
Finding time for your estate plan
It is one of those things that has been on your to-do list for months, perhaps since you got married or had a child or bought a house: time to get or update your will. Similar to getting life insurance, estate planning is one of those things we know we need to do but keep …