Recent News

When the legislature updated RCW Title 11 to crack down on people who tried to profit from probates and collusion between personal representatives and people buying assets from estates, an unintended consequence arose. See my earlier posts regarding the changes that came into effect on June 11, 2026 (Probate Update #1 and Probate Update #2). … Read More

It's National Estate Planning Awareness Week, and that means it's time to think about estate planning. Estate planning is for everyone! Having an estate plan is the best way to make sure your estate is administered in the way you want and your loved ones are provided for in the way you want. Getting on… Read More

The third week of October is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, and while there is never a bad time to get started on your estate plan, there really is no better time than the present. Many people think estate planning is for other people, or something that they will do in the future: After they… Read More

Mom or Dad has passed away, the probate process is underway, and there it is: the house. Maybe it’s the house you grew up in. Maybe it has been in the family for generations. Maybe you have already mentally moved your furniture into the living room and decided that the wallpaper in the guest bathroom… Read More

A GRAT is a type of irrevocable trust in which a grantor transfers assets to the trust in exchange for annual annuity payments during a fixed term, with the remainder of the gift passing to the grantor’s beneficiaries and excluded from the donor’s estate. The creation of a GRAT results in an immediate taxable gift… Read More

IRA account holders typically designate individuals as beneficiaries who will inherit the account upon the account holder’s death – such as “all to spouse” or “in equal shares to children.”  However, a trust can also be named as an IRA beneficiary, and in some instances may be a better option than an individual beneficiary.  When… Read More

In this webinar, Attorney Rachel J. Wright from our Estate Planning and Probate Group will be discussing "Your Last Party (And Who Gets To Throw It)" https://youtu.be/dmrk8nRJ2yc?si=laK33AbWxVEr3nXQ Read More

July 1 falls on a Wednesday this year, but it is anything but an ordinary Wednesday for Washington estate tax. July 1, 2026, is the date Washington’s estate tax rates are scheduled to change once again—and this time, the news is mostly good for estates of all sizes. Washington's estate tax has been in flux… Read More

In a related post, “Your Last Party: Why Funeral Planning Matters”, we talked about all the ways a person can make their grand exit: burial, cremation, composting, water cremation, space travel, tacos, dancing, and the critically important question of whether there should be an open mic at the celebration of life. Now comes the less… Read More