It is with great honor that we recognize the attorneys at our firm who have been selected as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars in Washington for 2022!
SECURE Act
On December 20, 2019, the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement” Act, otherwise known as the “SECURE Act” was signed into law. The SECURE Act brings changes to the tax treatment of Traditional IRAs and other types of qualified retirement accounts. These changes impact clients who are using retirement accounts to transfer wealth to […]
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 […]
What Can I Do With My Body After I Die?
You may have heard that Washington just passed a new law that allows human composting (officially called “natural organic reduction”). This law also allows another option called hydro cremation (officially called “alkaline hydrolysis”). This means we now have four options for disposing of our remains in Washington that include: burial, cremation, composting, and hydro cremation. […]
With Funeral Home Rules Due for an Update, There’s a Push for Online Prices
Check out this article from the New York Times regarding the concept of pricing for funeral homes being available for consumers online. Excerpt: “Shoppers routinely use the internet to compare prices, whether for appliances, cars or hotel rooms. But online pricing remains scant for funeral services, putting bereaved and vulnerable people at a financial disadvantage […]
Do I need an Attorney to Draft my Will?
Can you save money by using software to draft a DIY (do-it-yourself) will instead of paying an attorney? Technically, yes, you can draft your own will and save money, now. However, what you save now may cost your family far more in the long run. Although you can save money by drafting your own […]
How can you reduce estate taxes?
Estate taxes, inheritance taxes, death taxes. There are many names for the estate taxes and many myths and misconceptions to go with those names. Regardless of what you call them, estate taxes are a tax imposed on the value of everything you own at the moment of your death. The portion of your estate lost […]
Protecting Your Beneficiaries with an IRA Trust
IRAs and other retirement accounts can be some of the largest assets in an estate, often second only to a home. If you have an IRA, you can decide who receives your IRA after your death by filling out a beneficiary designation form naming beneficiaries—children, spouse, or any other person—for your IRA. After your death, […]
Is it Time to Update your Personal and Estate Planning Documents?
As the end of the year approaches, it is a good time to review your Personal and Estate Planning documents. Personal and Estate Planning documents are essential safeguards for you and your loved ones in case of incapacity or death. It is important to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and events by having personal planning documents […]
Prenup Season
Summertime is wedding season, which can make the early part of the year, for a family lawyer, “prenup season.” We encourage proactive planning for major life events, and a wedding is definitely a major life event. Part of planning for a wedding should ideally include learning about the financial rules that change when two lives […]