ESTATE PLANNING SERVICES
Estate planning is crucial to your family’s future security in the event of death or disability. Estate Planning Attorney, Stephen A. Eggerman can help you identify goals, explore your options, and anticipate issues you may not have known.
Everyone Should Have a Will
Everyone should have a will, especially families and the elderly. As an estate planning lawyer, Mr. Eggerman will take the time to explain estate planning forms and how to use them to preserve your wishes. Some of the documents the firm drafts include:
- Living Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts
- Family Trusts
- Disclaimer Trusts
- Credit Shelter Trusts
- Community Property Agreements
- Guardianship Clause For Minor Children
- Living Wills
- Powers of Attorney
- Separate Property Agreements
Making the Process as Easy as Possible
Your trust and estate planning needs should be discussed with a lawyer you trust. Mr. Eggerman’s experience, familiarity with Washington State and Federal estate planning law, and his approachable manner make him a good choice to guide your planning for the future. Paperwork for estate planning can be overwhelming. Let Mr. Eggerman and his staff handle your case with the utmost care and attention to detail. Mr. Eggerman understands the importance of your estate planning needs and uses an individualized approach to maximize your comfort and complete understanding. Let your family know your wants and desires, and choose the right estate planning attorney to help you plan for your death or incapacity. Mr. Eggerman is an estate planning lawyer who can help ensure that your needs and the needs of your family are met. For estate planning attorneys, contact Eggerman Law Firm PS, located in Kirkland, Washington.
ESTATE PLANNING ISSUES
Will or Living Trust
Your Last Will and Testament enables you to make a legal disposition of your property upon your death. You select a person you trust, known as a “Personal Representative,” to administer your estate according to your stated instructions. You also may designate a guardian and a trustee. Living Trust is a disposition of your property while you are living but can also be changed while you are living. The living trust in most instances will allow you to avoid probate.
General Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Matters
This document enables you to select a person, referred to as your “Attorney-in-Fact,” who will take charge of your financial affairs in the event of incompetency. We recommend that you name an alternate, in case the person you select isn’t able to assist you. You should select someone you trust. Your Attorney-in-Fact should be financially responsible, and be able to pay your bills, make wise investment choices, and otherwise take care of all your financial matters. You also need to decide when to make the document effective. Married couples may like to make the General Durable Power of Attorney effective immediately. The General Durable Power of Attorney then allows them the flexibility to sign necessary documents and complete financial transactions for their spouse if their spouse is out of town or otherwise unavailable. However, most of my clients choose to make their General Durable Power of Attorney effective upon their disability.
Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions
This document authorizes your designated “Attorney-in-Fact” to make decisions about your medical treatment in the event of incompetency or the inability to make such decisions. You should select someone you trust. You should feel confident that your Attorney-in-Fact will respect your wishes regarding medical treatment, and make good choices for you. We recommend that you select someone who lives close by, so that your Attorney-in-Fact will be able to sign necessary documentation in the event of a medical emergency. You should also name an alternate in case the person you select isn’t able to assist you. A Power of Attorney is very important to have in place so that your estate, in most instances, will avoid the need for a guardianship.
Health Care Directive
A Health Care Directive, commonly referred as a “living will,” allows you to indicate whether you would like your life to be “artificially prolonged” in the event of the individual is in a permanently unconscious state or a terminal condition. Although some people disagree with this document from a religious perspective, other people believe it creates the option for them to have more control over their death and for death to be a more dignified process, as well as providing directions for your wishes to your doctors and family. We believe it is important for people to have full information, and to make choices based upon their own personal beliefs.
Community Property Agreement
Community Property Agreements are used by married couples, in certain circumstances, to transfer their ownership in any assets to a surviving spouse in lieu of probate and for other reasons. Usually it should not be used if the couple has a taxable estate or if the couple wishes to qualify for Medicaid benefits. However, it can be an incredibly effective and useful tool to pass assets efficiently and inexpensively to the surviving spouse upon the first spouse’s death.
Memorial Instructions
RCW 68.50.160(1) states: “A person has the right to control the disposition of his or her own remains without the pre-death or post-death consent of another person. A valid written document expressing the decedent’s wishes regarding the place or method of disposition of his or her remains, signed by the decedent in the presence of a witness, is sufficient legal authorization for the procedures to be accomplished.” Our office can assist you in preparing this document upon request.
Above is a general description of some of the documents we prepare for our clients. If you have estate planning questions, please contact us at 425-828-9509 or email paralegal@eggermanlaw.com. Our initial consultation in this practice area is usually at no charge and usually after the initial consultation we can quote you a flat fee for our services.