Proper estate planning is an important process to simplify matters after your death. A Simple Will, Trust Will for minor children, Community Property Agreement, Durable Power of Attorney and/or Health Care Directive can be important tools in that process. The articles written below are offered to give you general background information that may be helpful to you. If you need further assistance in drafting estate planning documents or clearing an estate, please contact us by phone or email.What is Community Property? Washington is a Community property state. Upon dissolution, the Court must distribute all the property owned by the parties between them (both community and separate). The Court first determines whether the property is characterized as community property or separate property. Separate property is that which one spouse owned before the marriage […]
Community Property Agreement
Estate Planning: Community Property Agreement Washington is a community property state, which means that all property in the state of Washington is either community property or separate property. Separate property is that which is owned before the marriage or received as a gift or inheritance during the marriage. All other property acquired during marriage as […]
Cost of Wills Affordable
Estate Planning: Cost of Wills What is the cost of Wills? We do a variety of Washington wills and other estate planning documents for our clients at an affordable fixed price and cost. For your convenience, some examples of the cost of wills and other estate planning documents are as follows: Simple Will (single person) […]
Death and Eternity
Death and Eternity A client recently came into the office to have a Will, Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive prepared. He just found out he had cancer, and was given only about a month to live. To say the least, he was in a state of shock. As a lawyer, we are […]
Durable Power of Attorney
Estate Planning: Durable Power of Attorney In thinking through your estate planning, a document you should consider is a Durable Power of Attorney (POA). This is a document that gives someone else the power to legally sign documents and make decisions on your behalf. Without adequate safeguards, this can be a dangerous document because that […]
Power of Attorney for Children
Do you have a Power of Attorney for your adult children? Do you realize the possible need for one and the potential consequence of not having one? A Power of Attorney is a document that allows another person to make decisions and sign documents on your behalf. These are important documents in estate planning. Typically […]
Prenuptial Agreement
Family Law: Prenuptial Agreement A Prenuptial Agreement is a contract entered into by two people before their marriage. They redefine the laws of the State of Washington and how it applies to their specific marriage. They often decide how property will be divided if they get a divorce, legal separation, annulment, of when one of […]
Revocable Living Trust
Estate Planning Tools: Revocable Living Trust A Revocable Living Trust has become popular estate planning tool to pass property to heirs after you die and to avoid probate. Like a will, the trust is revocable so you can modify or eliminate it at any time. The written trust agreement appoints a trustee to administer your […]
Transfer on Death Deed
Traditionally, real estate was passed through a signed, recorded Deed, transferring title to a new grantee. On death, the title is usually passed through a new Deed signed in the probate process by the personal representative to the new owners or beneficiaries. In the past, clients have opted to sign a Quit Claim Deed passing […]
Trust Wills for Minor Children
If you have minor children, they cannot inherit your estate directly when you die. If they were to inherit while minors, a Court supervised Guardianship would have to be set up to manage the estate. The Court would then decide who the guardian is, and control when, if and how the estate is used for […]
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