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A person who creates an estate plan usually drafts a will to outline what they want to happen to their assets after their death. The vast majority of wills are read and executed without any issues, but there are times when those invested in an estate may have a reason...
Celebrity probate conflicts often provide very little insight into the needs of the average person. Someone who dies with millions of dollars in property has very different needs than those in average households who may have retirement savings and real property in...
Unfortunately, estate litigation and family issues are an all-too-common occurrence in Washington state and around the country. When the dispute involves famous individuals, such as the Presley family, there's a great deal of media attention involved. While all the...
For many people in relationships, getting married is not a priority. Some couples do not believe they need to get married to prove their love and commitment to each other. For others, a bad prior experience with marriage has soured them on the institution. Whatever...
Remember the classic TV sitcom "The Brady Bunch"? It tells the story of two single parents and their children becoming one blended family. On the show, the Brady parents love all six of the kids equally. One could imagine that Carol and Mike's estate planning made...
Ask any parent with multiple children if they have a favorite, and they'll tell you they don't. However, those children often feel like they do.This is important when considering estate planning, seeing as how childhood feelings and conflicts can come back even for...
Your spouse passes away, and you discover that they never named you in their will or estate plan. What will happen? How does the court view this omission?Generally speaking, there are laws in Washington to help ensure that the surviving spouse will be provided for in...
In an ideal world, the executor for your parents' estate will do a fair and capable job, helping to divide the assets and carry out the instructions left for them in the will. That is the task they were given when they agreed to become the executor.However, it is...
When someone creates a trust, they also pick a trustee. This person is in charge of carrying out the actions indicated by the trust, but they are not the person who benefits from it.For instance, maybe the trust is supposed to be used for a college student's expenses....
One potential point of contention with asset distribution is deciding which assets to sell. The will may not provide guidance but doing so may be necessary.Remember, the estate may have certain expenses that need to get paid. This could include things like outstanding...