Estate Planning Attorney and Probate Lawyer Blog

Happy Sunday! Today I wanted to talk about the downside of a revocable trust. And, to be honest, this is going to be a short post, because there is no downside to a revocable trust. That doesn’t mean that everyone needs one, but for those that do, it’s a no brainer. Probate avoidance? Check. Easy to update? Check. Retain complete control over assets? Check. Control and management after death? Check. Easy administration after death? Check. There’s just no downside to…

 A lot of people assume they need a revocable living trust if they want to avoid probate. But that’s not always true—at least not in Washington State, where I live and practice law. While trusts can be incredibly useful tools, there are other, often simpler, ways to ensure your assets pass smoothly to your beneficiaries without ever going through probate. What Probate Really Does Probate is the legal process of transferring your assets to your heirs after you pass…

When it comes to estate planning, one of the trickiest topics is disinheriting family members. There’s a common myth that if you want to disinherit someone, you have to mention them in your will or trust and leave them a token amount, like $1. I’m here to tell you: that’s simply not true. You Don’t Need to Give a Token Gift If your goal is to disinherit someone, the easiest approach is to simply leave them out of your will…

 When it comes to estate planning, many people assume that a revocable living trust will shield their assets from creditors or lawsuits. The truth is, a revocable living trust does not provide asset protection. Let’s break down why this is the case and what options you actually have if your goal is protecting your wealth. What a Revocable Living Trust Really Does A revocable living trust is a tool for managing your assets while you’re alive and distributing them…

 Many people assume that creating a revocable living trust is a surefire way to save on estate taxes. In reality, that’s not the case. Unless you have a very specific type of trust, such as a credit shelter trust, a standard revocable living trust won’t provide estate tax advantages. Why Revocable Living Trusts Don’t Save on Estate Taxes The reason is simple: you and the trust are legally the same. Any assets you place in a revocable living trust…

Happy Sunday! Today I wanted to talk about how to update your estate plan. As with most legal matters, it is both pretty straightforward and easy to mess up if you don’t know what you’re doing. Thankfully you’ll know everything you need to know by the time you are done reading this. First, the wrong way. You decide it’s time to update the trustee of your trust. It was John Smith and now you think Jane Smith would be better….

Happy Sunday! Today I wanted to talk about something that comes up every once in a while for clients – title companies and what they actually do. Before I get into that, I want to mention one other real estate question we get all the time – “I looked at the county website and it doesn’t show my property is in my trust. Did you guys move my property into my trust?” It’s important to know that the website has…