Probate Attorney Blog

What Happens if You Die Without a Will Most people just assume that if you die without a will your people get your stuff. They assume it’s a simple process. They assume the money saved by not making a will and using an estate planning attorney goes to their relatives. In many cases this assumption would be wrong. Watch the video to learn more about what happens if you die without a will! Cheers, Christopher Small P.S. Don’t forget to…

We all know we need a will. This is WHY you need a will. Do you know who is going to take care of your kids if tragedy strikes? Do you know who is going to take care of the kids’ finances is tragedy strikes? Do you know who is going to manage your finances if you are unable to because of sickness or injury? If you don’t have a will, a judge will make those decisions for you. And…

Estate Planning: Fail To Prepare Then Prepare To Fail Over the course of the last 5 days or so I’ve been bombarded with messages about the “Storm of the Century” coming to Seattle. I’ve seen news coverage speaking of downed power lines. I’ve seen video of empty shelves of water at the grocery store. And I’ve heard countless stories of people stocking up on batteries, canned food, and even buying generators costing thousands of dollars. And for what? A few…

Estate Planning and Funding Your Trust The number one problem estate planning attorneys see with trusts is funding your trust, hands down. In this episode of the show I talk about how to fund your trust to make sure that it actually happens. Before we get to how to fund a trust, let’s talk about funding your trust in general. It is important to remember that a trust is sort of like a box that you have complete control over….

What is Portability in Estate Planning? I’m often asked about portability in estate planning, though it isn’t usually by using the word “portability,” it’s usually by asking about estate taxes. What’s important to remember at the outset is that Washington State has its own estate tax. And that estate tax does not allow for portability. What is Portability The easiest way to talk about portability is with an example. Imagine a husband and wife. They have $10 million dollars worth…

How to Pick a Guardian When No Good Choices Today’s show didn’t necessarily originally start out about how to pick a guardian when there are no good choices, but the message fits in just as good. The main point is this – even your “okay” choice, your best choice out of all of your choices, is going to be better than the choice of a judge. And, the fact is, if it’s a tough choice for you, if there are…

Is Inherited Property Separate Property or Community Property? I had an interesting conversation today with someone who asked a question I think a lot of you might be wondering. But before I get to the story, I’ve got to provide a little context. This person wanted to give her property to her kid. But, she was worried that her kid’s spouse, whom was separated from the kid but still married to the kid, would use some influence to squeeze the…