What Adult Children Must Know To Help Aging Parents   It is common for adult children to assist aging parents with estate planning. Estate planning is not just about deciding who receives property after death. A good estate plan can also give trusted family members the legal tools they need to help an aging parent during life. The key is…Read More

Estate Planning for Homeowners in Washington: Secure Your Legacy and Protect Your Property Owning a home in Washington is one of life’s major milestones—and one of your biggest assets. But if you haven’t created a solid estate plan, your property could end up tangled in court, burdening your loved ones. At the Law Offices of Christopher A. Benson, we’ve helped…Read More

Washington State Inheritance Tax and Estate Tax: Your Answers Here Does Washington State Have An Inheritance Tax? Washington does not have an inheritance tax. It does have an estate tax, which is imposed on a decedent’s estate rather than on beneficiaries simply because they receive an inheritance. Whether Washington estate tax applies depends on the estate and the law applicable…Read More

Is a Will an Estate Plan? If you own real estate in Washington, it may be a "bad" estate plan because your family will have to hire a lawyer and go through the court probate process.Watch our latest video concerning Wills and real estate in Washington: How to Make an Estate Plan There are several elements to an estate plan…Read More

What is the Washington state estate tax rate? Inheritance tax? A common question we receive is: Does Washington State have an inheritance tax or probate tax? In the law, words matter.  Therefore, as your read the answers and responses below, the end result might feel the same (i.e. pay a tax); but how you arrive at the result is technically…Read More

Surviving Spouse Rights in Washington. Do I have to file a probate for my spouse? The short answer is “Yes” unless the following applies: The Assets of the deceased are in a trust; or The Assets of the deceased are held as joint tenants with the right of survivorship (property merely held as community property doesn’t count as will be explained later); or The…Read More

Surviving spouse rights in the State of Washington is a confusing topic for a lot of people. Property does not get "automatically" transferred to the surviving spouse. 60% of American citizens do not have an estate plan. Therefore, the vast majority of surviving spouses have to hire a lawyer and go through a formal probate in the State of Washington. …Read More

What Is a Power of Attorney and Can It Expire? On January 1, 2017, the State of Washington implemented new laws concerning many different types of Powers of Attorney and specific directions that can be added or limited. If you do not have a Power of Attorney, your timing is good because now would be a great time to get…Read More

Not only are Millennials not talking about end-of-life care with their parents, according to the American Bar Association "Statistical studies show that 55 percent of Americans die without a will or estate plan." In order to save your loved ones completely avoidable additional pain and legal hassles, take the time to begin your estate planning today. Here is the good news....we…Read More

Estate Planning: Discuss the Difficult Questions Jump to a question:Are there any descendants you haven’t mentioned?Have you disclosed all the important relationships in your life?Do you have genetic material stored anywhere?Are you transgender?Who is going to take care of your pets? Christopher A. Benson has an Avvo rating of 10.0. Mr. Benson serves clients from our only physical office in…Read More