Recent News

What is a Disclaimer?

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Sherry Bosse Lueders | 1/28/2025
Qualified Disclaimers: A tool for when you would prefer not to accept an inheritance A qualified disclaimer is a formal refusal to accept property or assets being distributed from an estate or trust. When a beneficiary disclaims (ie, refuses) an inheritance, it passes to another beneficiary as if the disclaiming person never had ownership of… Read More

Outlook for Federal Estate and Gift Tax in 2025

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Emily Tyson-Shu | 1/28/2025
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), enacted in December 2017, introduced significant reforms that affected various aspects of federal taxation, including changes to estate and gift tax provisions. One of the most notable provisions was the temporary increase in the exemption amounts for federal estate and gift taxes. However, these increases are set to… Read More

How a Donor-Advised Fund Can Benefit Your Estate Plan

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Sherry Bosse Lueders | 12/30/2024
A sometimes-overlooked part of estate planning is charitable giving. End of life gifts to charities can leave a lasting impact on the causes you care about and have the added benefit of reducing the size of your taxable estate. A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) can be an excellent solution for incorporating charitable giving into your estate… Read More

Federal Annual Gift Tax Exclusion for 2025

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Per E. Oscarsson | 12/27/2024
Federal law imposes a tax on gifts made in excess of a specific amount in a calendar year to a specific recipient (known as a “donee”). That tax is usually paid by the donor (the giver) of the gift. The specific amount is known as the annual gift exclusion. The annual gift exclusion is $18,000… Read More

Federal and Washington Estate Taxes for 2025

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Per E. Oscarsson | 12/26/2024
The “basic exclusion amount” is the amount of a deceased person’s estate that passes free of federal estate tax.  This differs from the unlimited marital deduction that applies when one spouse dies and transfers all of his or her interest in property to the surviving spouse.  There is a basic exclusion amount for federal estate… Read More

Beresford Booth Attorney Emily Tyson-Shu Talks Estate Planning and Probate (In English and Mandarin Chinese)

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Law Lawyer Emily Tyson-Shu | 12/4/2024
On November 23rd, Beresford Booth lawyer Emily Tyson-Shu, fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese spoke at a seminar of over 70 people at the Glendale Golf Club in Bellevue, Washington.  As keynote speaker, she discussed topics involving estate planning and probate including the following: wills, probate, revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, estate tax planning basics… Read More

Making Gifts under a Power of Attorney

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Per E. Oscarsson | 11/26/2024
Under a power of attorney, one individual, the Principal, grants to another individual or other appropriate agent the authority to take certain actions on behalf of the Principal. Often, a power of attorney is drafted broadly to give the agent authority to act on a variety of types of matters or with respect to the… Read More

Uniform Custodial Trust Act: A Bill Proposed for Introduction to the Washington State Legislature.

Washington State Estate Planning and Probate Law Lawyer Emily Tyson-Shu | 10/30/2024
One of the primary goals of estate planning is to establish protective mechanisms for beneficiaries with varying needs. For instance, a young couple with children may opt for a trust and appoint a reliable trustee to manage assets until the children reach an age where they can responsibly handle their own finances. Alternatively, some individuals… Read More