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ESTATE PLANNING

What is estate planning? Estate planning is the process of creating the legal documents you need in order to grant legal authority and provide direction to those who need to make decisions for you when you are not able to yourself, and to wrap up your affairs and carry out your final wishes regarding your property after you die. 

Planning for Incapacity:

Legally speaking, you are incapacitated if you are unable, physically and/or mentally, to make your own informed decisions. This can happen to any of us at sometime during our lives. You can plan ahead for this possibility by having Durable Powers-of-Attorney designating who you want to make decisions for you, and advance directives expressing your beliefs and wishes for healthcare. If you become incapacitated without such documents, it may become necessary for the Court to appoint a guardian or conservator for you, which is a lengthy, stressful, and expensive process.

Documents: ​

  • Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare

  • Durable Power of Attorney for Finances

  • Advance Healthcare Directive

  • Mental Health Advance Directive

  • Revocable Living Trust

Distribution of Property:

Your estate is whatever you own, and it is important to have a plan for it when you die, whether it is a little or a lot. There are various strategies to accomplish your goals that are based on a combination of wills, trusts, and non-probate transfers. What is best for you depends on your circumstances, the type and amount of your property, and the needs of your intended beneficiaries.  If you have no estate plan, it does not mean that the state will get your property, but it does mean that state law will determine who receives it.

Documents: ​

  • Last Will and Testament

  • Testamentary Trust

  • Revocable Living Trust

  • Community Property Agreement

  • Transfer-on-Death Deed

  • Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship

  • Quitclaim Deed

Estate Planning Blog Posts:

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Estate Planning in  Auburn, Bellevue, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Maple Valley, Normandy Park, Renton, Seatac, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma and more.

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