What Do I Do With My Possessions When I Die?

Washington State law provides for the disposition of personal property like dishes, silverware and other family heirlooms in wills or trust documents. However, a recent article in the Seattle Times discusses a cultural and social change to consider when planning your estate  – younger family members are now less inclined to want family heirlooms when their parents or grandparents are deceased. Now, an entire generation is asking – “what do I do with my stuff”?

When planning for your estate, what happens to these items if family members do not want them?

This is an important topic to discuss with your attorney and executor during the estate planning process. It should be determined before your will is written which heirs would like to receive heirlooms, if any.

If none of your family members opt to take ownership of your possessions after you die, then other options can be explored. Sale of items, donations to charity, etc. are all things that can be discussed with your attorney and executor when you are making decisions about your end of life choices.

As always, if you have any questions regarding estate planning (or if this topic is causing you to re-think some of your estate planning choices), please feel free to reach out to any of our estate planning attorneys.