As the executor of someone's estate, you will have a lot of responsibilities to manage over the next few months. You have to secure and inventory their property. You have to notify their creditors as well as the beneficiaries of their estate. You will likely also have...
Seattle Estate And Probate Blog
Should a single person use a trust?
You might think that you don’t need a trust since you don’t have a spouse or children, but trusts can be protective of you even if you’re a single person. Trusts help your estate avoid probate, so anyone who has to handle your estate if you pass away will be able to...
Do you need an estate plan if you’re single?
Estate planning is often thought of as something that’s necessary for a person who has a family. They may not even consider the fact that a single person needs to have an estate plan in place. Making sure that you have this together if you’re single is important so...
Will the Washington courts punish you for a will contest?
Losing someone close to you is hard enough, but learning that their will is completely contrary to what they always told you it would be can be even worse. The inheritance that they always promised you may have included property that has real emotional value to you in...
When should you update your will?
Creating a will is a responsible step all adults should take. However, you may not realize that wills aren’t “set-it-and-forget-it” documents. Several situations in life require you to update your will to ensure it reflects changes that occur in your life. Knowing...
Do you have a pet that you think will outlive you?
Some people will say that adopting a pet is signing up for a small-scale personal tragedy in the future. Even the longest-lived cats and dogs will likely only spend at most two decades with their owners, so you know you will eventually have to grieve the animal that...
Do I need a trust if I don’t have a large income?
You may know that trusts are a thing that people can use in estate planning, but if you have a smaller income you may not have ever considered having one yourself. While your basic estate plan might begin with your will, considering a trust is something you should do....
Protecting your estate from inheritance theft
It might seem obvious that your beneficiaries will take over the estate from you when the time comes. However, this is not always guaranteed. Your assets and property could end up in the wrong hands at the expense of your intended heirs. Outsiders or even family...
Are your beneficiary designations aligned with your estate plan?
There are several different ways that you can pass the property on to the people that you love when you die. You can fill out beneficiary designations for specific accounts and insurance policies. Sometimes, you can even add a transfer-on-death designation to a...
What makes for a good will?
There are countless dramas written and filmed around disputes over someone’s will. The reason this is such a compelling topic is that people can relate to it. Most people know someone or have heard stories of someone who has faced this kind of situation for real....