Serving North King and South Snohomish Counties and Surrounding Communities
Estate Planning Questionnaire
Download the Ivy Law Estate Planning Questionnaire
Five Key Estate Planning Documents
Will
Who will manage your estate?
What will you have in your estate?
What will you have outside your estate?
Health Care Directive
Advance Directive for medical care.
Health Care Power of Attorney
Who will manage your health care?
Who won’t manage your
health care?
Financial Power of Attorney
Who will manage your finances?
Who won’t manage your finances?
Burial/Cremation Directive
Directions to the family: what, where, and how
Estate Planning
While you’re living and healthy, you value being able to make your own decisions about your finances, property, health care, and raising your children. Should you die or become incapacitated, you hope others will handle these matters for you according to your wishes.
The only way to assure that will happen is through estate planning. This process involves weighing various personal and financial decisions and creating legal arrangements to carry out those decisions. At Ivy Law Group we can help ensure that your valuable resources and hard-earned assets are distributed according to your precise wishes in the most efficient manner possible.
Documents that you may wish to have included are a Will, a health care directive (also referred to as a “living will”), a financial power of attorney, a health care power of attorney, a directive regarding disposition of your remains (cremation, burial, green burial).
We provide an initial consultation, at no charge, to help you determine the legal documents that are best suited for your situation.
First Steps
- Consider who you would like to handle your affairs for you if you became incapacitated. Think of at least two people whom you trust to serve in this role.
- Download the Ivy Law Estate Planning Questionnaire. If you would prefer to receive a hard copy, give us a call and we will be happy to send one to you.
- Contact Ivy Law Group for a free consultation to review your estate planning needs.
Next Steps
- Consider which estate planning documents are right for you. Do you need more than the five basic documents (for example a Community Property Agreement)?
- Draft and finalize documents with your attorney.
Last Steps
- Prepare a gift list distributing your tangible personal property
- Prepare a Survivor’s Manual with all the information needs for your personal representative when they manage your affairs.
- Store your original documents in a fire envelope, fire safe, or safe deposit box. Distribute copies.
Survivor’s Manual
We have drafted a document to help you help the loved ones you leave behind during the painful and difficult time following your death. This document should be completed and kept in a file labeled “upon my death” in your home. Because this document will contain important and confidential financial information, it is important not to email it or keep it in a place where it could become compromised. Download the Survivor’s Manual.
Bequest List/Tangible Personal Property
Washington law allows, and encourages, everyone to make a list of personal property to give to their family and friends. It usually includes jewelry, artwork, antiques, tools, memorabilia, etc. All that is necessary is to have the list mentioned in your Will and then to have a dated and signed document. Here is a sample Bequest List form .