In all the excitement of becoming a parent, it can be easy to forget about planning your Washington estate. This is crucial, however, so that your baby is taken care of if something happens to you. It might seem like a complex subject, but preparing these documents is...
Full-Service Probate And Estate Planning Assistance
Year: 2022
Guidelines for choosing an executor for your Washington estate
Executors of estates play a vital role in fulfilling your final wishes. They also manage your investments and assets during the probate and distribution process. To fully protect your estate and your heirs, you need to choose your estate executor wisely. Washington...
The steps of real estate probate
The probate period after the death of a loved one is often fraught with lots of red tape. One of the most common and most expensive parts of probate is the handling of real estate, including the sale of a house. Steps of probate with real estate Ideally, the person...
What is ancillary probate, and how does it work?
All Washington adults should have an estate plan. However, if they own property in another state, it can complicate matters as that property must go through ancillary probate after their death. This is what that means and how it works. Understanding ancillary probate...
What is a pet trust, and how does it work?
Washington residents consider their pets to be beloved family members. You can keep them safe with your estate planning efforts. One way to do that is to create a pet trust. Understanding pet trusts A pet trust is a legal tool used to protect your pet after you’re...
Deciding whether to create a TOD in Washington State
There are many estate planning tools you can use in Washington State to prevent your loved ones from going through the costly, exhausting and time-consuming probate process when receiving their assets. The most popular way to achieve this is, of course, establishing a...
Taxes and estate implications after death
When a person dies in the state of Washington, the courts will refer to that person as the "decedent" during court probate proceedings. The decedent's property will be divided according to the terms of their estate plan or by the state's intestacy laws. For example,...
Who can serve as executor in Washington?
When it's time to choose the executor of your estate, you may not realize that you can't choose just anyone. Washington has certain restrictions in place on who can serve as executors. Adults of sound mind Minors can't serve as executors of estates. The person whom...
The top three benefits of avoiding probate
When someone dies in Washington, their assets must be distributed in a specific order set forth by law. This process is known as "probate." While probate is necessary in some cases, there are many situations where it isn't ideal, so formulating your estate plans to...
When probate involves debts and mortgages
Losing someone you care deeply about is always difficult. But when an unpaid debt or a mortgage is added into the mix, things only get harder. Fortunately, with enough information and planning, it's entirely possible to use probate in a Washington courtroom to put...