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Estate Planning for Single People in Washington: Protecting Your Voice and Your Legacy
When you’re single, estate planning can feel like something meant for married couples or families. But the truth is, single individuals face unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to protecting their wishes. Without a plan, Washington’s default laws decide where your assets go, often in ways that don’t reflect the relationships, friendships, or causes…
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Nonprobate Assets & Will Based Planning
Estate planning is personal – there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model, but handling nonprobate assets is something that everyone has to consider. Washington law establishes a comprehensive framework for controlling the disposition of nonprobate assets through testamentary instruments. Manary v. Anderson, 176 Wash. 2d 342, 292 P.3d 96 (2013). The statutory scheme serves multiple purposes: to enhance…
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Outright Gifts vs. Testamentary Trusts: Which Path Reflects Your Legacy?
One of the most meaningful choices in your estate plan is how your assets will be passed on. Will your beneficiaries receive their inheritance directly, with full control? Or will those assets be held in trust, guided by your intentions and protected for the long term? This decision isn’t just about mechanics—it’s about values, vision,…
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Canning & Estate Planning – Preserving What Matters: Your Time, Energy, Attention, & Money
Recently, as I was canning 28 quarts of organic chicken and grass-fed beef in a giant 30-year-old All American pressure canner, I couldn’t help but notice how uncanny the similarities between canning and estate planning are. If you’re scratching your head wondering what kind of lawyer takes the time to can their own food, I…
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Planning for Digital Assets & Online Accounts – Is it Really Necessary?
In our increasingly digitized world, planning for the management and distribution of digital assets and the management of online accounts is an often-overlooked part of planning for potential incapacity or death. It’s easy to understand why when you consider the ease with which we are typically able to access digital assets when we are alive…
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Health Care Directives, Living Wills, The Natural Death Act & Pregnancy in Washington State – 2025
If you have been following the news, you may be aware that physicians at Emory University Hospital in Georgia kept Adrianna Smith alive for nearly four months after she was determined to be brain dead because she was 9 weeks pregnant. If you live in Washington and are pregnant, or may become pregnant, you may…
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“Cheap Legal” hurts.
When my grandparents passed away within months of one another it should have been a time for my family to come together, to mourn and to celebrate their lives. Instead, in the months and years since they passed, my family has been fighting. Why? Because the lawyer my uncle suggested they hire wasn’t an estate…
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Why Traditional Estate Planning Fails
Traditional estate planning lawyers typically focus on document creation without truly understanding clients’ values or family dynamics. This approach often leads to inadequate or outdated documents, which can result in confusion, legal conflicts, and stress for families. A comprehensive process for planning is necessary to ensure informed decisions and protect legacies effectively.
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Do I need a pet trust?
As a pet parent myself, I always remind folks that under Washington Law, pets are property and will be treated as such unless you specifically make plans for their care after your incapacity or death. While there is nothing prohibiting you from naming a caregiver and leaving them funding for your pet in a will,…