Estate Planning

In order to best advise you on an estate plan that meets your goals, it is important for you to share complete and accurate information about your family, beneficiaries, assets, and goals and expected needs going forward. One good first step is thinking through and completing Northwest Elder Law Group’s Estate Planning Questionnaire. You should also gather information about your current assets and how they are held. The lawyers at Northwest Elder Law Group are here to answer your questions and make sure a plan is in place to honor your wishes, so be prepared to bring any questions ...

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Good estate planning documents should address different scenarios that may arise, but it is also important to review your existing estate planning every few years or whenever you have a big life event. A marriage or divorce, the birth of a child or grandchild, a move to a new state – all of these are good excuses to pull out your estate planning documents and make sure they still make sense in your life and accomplish your wishes. Additionally, laws can change and new ways to carry out your wishes may be available. Contact Northwest Elder Law Group to ...

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Each of these documents can make up a complete plan for health care decisions and end-of-life care. A Health Care Power of attorney is a document where you can designate an agent to make medical decisions for you and give informed consent on your behalf if you are unable to give that consent yourself. An Advance Directive, also sometimes called a Living Will, is a document where you can express your wishes for medical treatment and end-of-life care, which gives your Health Care agent, your family, and your physician an understanding of your wishes when you are terminally ill ...

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While a Will is an important component of a comprehensive estate plan, a Will only has legal effect once you die. It is important to have estate planning documents in place to address periods where you may be temporarily or permanently incapacitated or unable to manage your own financial affairs or medical decision-making. Selecting an agent (and alternates) to act on your behalf under Durable Power of Attorney documents is an important aspect of any estate plan. A Power of Attorney can be tailored to your particular needs and wishes: you can have a limited Power of Attorney that ...

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If your goal is to avoid probate, a trust can be one way to do so with careful planning. However, there are also several other estate planning tools available that can help you avoid probate. Based on your assets and goals, the lawyers at Northwest Elder Law Group can work with you to establish an estate plan to best fit your needs. For more information about probate, click here.

There is not a one size fits all answer to this question. A trust is a legal arrangement where a trustor transfers assets into a trust for a trustee to manage for the benefit of a beneficiary. There are lots of different kinds of trusts depending on an individual’s needs or hopes for transferring wealth. For example, a trust may be a good option if you want to make a gift to a beneficiary who is a minor or who may lack the skills to manage their own finances. A trust can also be a good plan if you ...

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Just because Washington is a community property state does not mean your spouse automatically inherits all of your property at death. If you do not have a Will or other estate plan in place the state’s default laws, which treat community property and separate property differently, will apply. You can help ensure your spouse inherits all of your property by discussing a Will, a Community Property Agreement, or other estate planning documents with one of the lawyers at Northwest Elder Law Group.

An experienced estate planning attorney will talk with you about your assets, your goals, and your wishes for your estate and can make sure potential issues are adequately addressed. Using an estate planning attorney to make a Will is an expense, but it can help you avoid costly issues and potential family discord in the future. Because everyone’s familial and financial situation is different, a “simple will” or a “one will fits all” approach may not be sufficient to fulfill your goals or account for issues that may arise. Spending some money now to ensure your documents are properly ...

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If you die without a Will (intestate), then state laws dictate who receives your assets which may lead to less than desirable results. Creating a Will or using other estate planning documents can ensure your individual wishes are followed and can also allow you to build in certain protections for minors, beneficiaries with special needs, or for a beneficiary who may be receiving government assistance.

Simply, estate planning is the process for making a plan that dictates who you want to receive your assets when you die.  However, estate planning is often not simple and, if done properly, creates a plan that encompasses far more that the distribution of your assets at your death. Estate planning may also include: Executing durable power of attorney documents designating a trusted person to manage your affairs should you not be able to do so on your own; Providing guidance to your loved ones regarding your care choices should you become unable to express your wishes; Planning for ...

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