Estate Planning in Washington

Serving Clients in Bellevue and the Seattle Area

General information about estate planning in the Seattle area

We all must tackle tough decisions concerning personal maintenance and care; estate management in the event of disability; and the preservation, management and distribution of your estate upon your death. When considering their options for estate planning, people often seek the assistance of a qualified attorney. A seasoned Bellevue estate planning attorney is a valuable resource for anyone in the Seattle area who wants to preserve their estate and provide for their family.

There are many legal strategies involved in estate planning, including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, and health care documents. New clients often say that they do not have an estate plan. Most people are surprised to learn that they actually do have a plan. In the absence of legal planning otherwise, their estate will be distributed after death according to Washington’s laws of intestacy. Of course, this may not be the plan they would have chosen. A properly drafted estate plan will replace the terms of the State’s estate plan with your own.

Our estate planning services

The care of yourself and your loved ones and the management and eventual distribution of your estate deserve the highest quality of legal representation. At Gregorek and Associates, our estate planning attorneys are prepared to provide you with attention, compassion, and an unparalleled portfolio of legal documents that, if implemented and managed appropriately, will serve you and your family throughout your life and after your death. At Gregorek and Associates, we offer something called an Essential Estate Plan. The design of your Essential Estate Plan always depends on the make-up of your estate and your goals. The foundation of any Essential Estate Plan is a fully funded revocable living trust. This document is personalized to control your estate while you are alive, avoid probate when you are deceased, reduce or avoid federal estate taxes, and provide for each family member in a thoughtful manner that produces the maximum benefit.

An Essential Estate Plan may encompass most, if not all, of the following:

• Revocable living trust
• Wills
• Special needs trusts for disabled heirs
• Credit shelter by-pass trust
• Durable powers of attorney
• Directives to physicians (living wills)
• Marital property agreement
• QDOT for a non-citizen spouse
• QTIPS and other custom beneficiary trusts

An Essential Estate Plan is often expanded with additional components, such as the following:

• Wealth Replacement Trusts to enhance the size of your estate without increasing the amount of eventual federal estate taxation
• Charitable Trusts which help you live better while spending your ‘tax’ dollars as you wish, supporting the organizations of your choice
• Business Entity Planning using business entities such as family limited partnerships, family limited liability companies, management trusts and corporations to achieve asset protection and family ownership

To find out more about Gregorek and Associates, PLLC’s Essential Estate Plan, contact the firm today.

Contact the attorneys at Gregorek and Associates, PLLC today

We can’t be sure what lies beyond the horizon. Still we charge ahead, realizing that we will encounter both calm waters and stormy seas. Gregorek and Associates, PLLC can help you navigate your way through complicated financial, legal and tax-related situations safely and securely. Conveniently located in Bellevue, we also serve clients in Seattle and throughout Washington State. Contact Gregorek and Associates today.

For more in-depth information about the benefits of a living trust, funding your living trust, estate taxes and beneficiaries, please visit our Estate Planning Learning Center where we answer the most common questions about estate planning and estate tax planning.