Documents
Last Will and Testament
A Will is a roadmap that tells the world how you would like your estate to be handled when you die.
Documents
Last Will and Testament
A Will is a roadmap that tells the world how you would like your estate to be handled when you die.
Documents
Last Will and Testament
A Will is a roadmap that tells the world how you would like your estate to be handled when you die.
What you get with Orbit Wills:
Nominate an Executor
Appoint someone you trust to handle all of your legal and business affairs on your behalf.
Direct Estate Distribution
Decide exactly how you want your estate to be distributed after you pass away.
Nominate a Guardian
Choose a guardian who will care for your minor children if something happens to you.
Create your Last Will and Testament
Decide who manages your estate and how your assets are distributed — all from the comfort of your home.
What you get with Orbit Wills:
Nominate an Executor
Appoint someone you trust to handle all of your legal and business affairs on your behalf.
Direct Estate Distribution
Decide exactly how you want your estate to be distributed after you pass away.
Nominate a Guardian
Choose a guardian who will care for your minor children if something happens to you.
Create your Last Will and Testament
Decide who manages your estate and how your assets are distributed — all from the comfort of your home.
What you get with Orbit Wills:
Nominate an Executor
Appoint someone you trust to handle all of your legal and business affairs on your behalf.
Direct Estate Distribution
Decide exactly how you want your estate to be distributed after you pass away.
Nominate a Guardian
Choose a guardian who will care for your minor children if something happens to you.
Create your Last Will and Testament
Decide who manages your estate and how your assets are distributed — all from the comfort of your home.
About
A Will is a roadmap that tells the world how you would like your estate to be handled when you die. In a Will, you can do the following:
• Nominate an executor – This is the person who will be appointed to handle all of your legal and business affairs
• Direct how you want your estate to be distributed after you die
• Nominate a guardian for your minor children
• Make gifts to charities
• Specify how minor children should receive money from your estate (e.g., in a blocked account)
• Waive any requirement that your executor must first obtain a bond (i.e., an insurance policy) prior to appointment by the court
• Direct that the executor be given nonintervention powers so he does not have to get court permission to do everything during the probate
• Deter your heirs from contesting the Will by including a “no contest” provision that states anyone who contests the Will will be disinherited
• Distribute items of personal property to specific individuals (e.g., grandma’s diamond ring to your eldest daughter, your Rolex to your nephew, your German Shepherd to your brother).
• By preparing and properly executing a Will, you are making life a lot easier for your family
Washington State has very specific laws regarding how a Will should be prepared and signed. It is a very formal process and needs to be followed carefully. At Orbit Wills, we will walk through the various decisions that need to be made to complete and properly execute a Will in Washington State.
Create your Last Will and Testament
Decide who manages your estate and how your assets are distributed — all from the comfort of your home.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
In case you missed anything and had some more questions.
Why do I need a Will?
You aren’t required to have a Will under Washington State law, but it sure makes things a lot easier if you do. There are a series of state laws that direct what happens if you do not have a Will, based on what the legislature believed most people would want. The statutes may work for your estate but it takes more time and money to deal with your estate than it would if you have a Will. A Will is basically a roadmap that tells the world exactly what you want and how we get there.
Does a Will avoid probate?
No. This is a common misconception but a Will simplifies probate, it does not mean you avoid probate.
What is a living trust?
A living trust is a document created to avoid probate. When created, you need to transfer all of your property into the living trust and then you are the “trustee” of the living trust until you become incapacitated or die. At that point, the person you appoint as the successor trustee would take over and, if everything is done correctly, there would be no probate or court involvement, but the same process would take place to wrap up the business of your life and distribute your estate to the intended beneficiaries. A living trust is a more complicated planning tool and should be done with an attorney.
Who should I appoint as executor?
You should appoint a trustworthy family member or friend as your executor. You can always change the executor later, but it’s important that you are comfortable with the executor when you sign your Will.
I just want to change part of my Will - can I do that with Orbit Wills?
No. Orbit Wills only makes new Wills, which revoke any old Will that you have. If you want to make a change to an existing Will, you should contact an attorney to review your current Will and make the change (a codicil).
I’ve been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Can I still sign a Will?
It depends. If you've been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's but still have lucid days, it might be possible to sign a Will. However, due to the complications with enforcement of a Will signed by a person with such a diagnosis, it would be best for you to work with an attorney to protect your document as much as possible.
Can I use Orbit Wills to create a trust for my minor children when I die?
Trusts for minors are great tools but should be discussed in detail with an attorney. At Orbit Wills, we direct money for minors to go to an account created under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, which permits you to appoint a custodian for the money who will manage the account for the minor child until that child reaches a certain age (18, 21, or 25). In a straightforward estate, that should be all that is required. If you do want a trust for your children, you will need to work with an attorney.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a beneficiary who is disabled and receiving state benefits?
If a beneficiary is disabled and receiving needs-based benefits from the state (i.e., SSI or Medicaid), an inheritance may disqualify them for ongoing benefits. There are ways to protect that person's benefits and allow them to inherit from your estate but it has to be done with very specialized trust language which is not included in a simple Will. If you need such a trust for a beneficiary, you will need to work with an attorney.
My spouse and I signed a prenuptial agreement before we were married - can I still use Orbit Wills?
Prenuptial agreements are very specialized documents because they typically alter your rights under state law with respect to your rights after a spouse dies. A prenuptial agreement should be considered by an attorney in the preparation of your Wills. We would recommend you talk to an attorney to incorporate the prenuptial agreement into your Will.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a blended family and want to make sure my money goes to my kids after my spouse (their step-parent) dies?
Blended families can create several issues in this context and it would be best to discuss your particular situation with a lawyer.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
In case you missed anything and had some more questions.
Why do I need a Will?
You aren’t required to have a Will under Washington State law, but it sure makes things a lot easier if you do. There are a series of state laws that direct what happens if you do not have a Will, based on what the legislature believed most people would want. The statutes may work for your estate but it takes more time and money to deal with your estate than it would if you have a Will. A Will is basically a roadmap that tells the world exactly what you want and how we get there.
Does a Will avoid probate?
No. This is a common misconception but a Will simplifies probate, it does not mean you avoid probate.
What is a living trust?
A living trust is a document created to avoid probate. When created, you need to transfer all of your property into the living trust and then you are the “trustee” of the living trust until you become incapacitated or die. At that point, the person you appoint as the successor trustee would take over and, if everything is done correctly, there would be no probate or court involvement, but the same process would take place to wrap up the business of your life and distribute your estate to the intended beneficiaries. A living trust is a more complicated planning tool and should be done with an attorney.
Who should I appoint as executor?
You should appoint a trustworthy family member or friend as your executor. You can always change the executor later, but it’s important that you are comfortable with the executor when you sign your Will.
I just want to change part of my Will - can I do that with Orbit Wills?
No. Orbit Wills only makes new Wills, which revoke any old Will that you have. If you want to make a change to an existing Will, you should contact an attorney to review your current Will and make the change (a codicil).
I’ve been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Can I still sign a Will?
It depends. If you've been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's but still have lucid days, it might be possible to sign a Will. However, due to the complications with enforcement of a Will signed by a person with such a diagnosis, it would be best for you to work with an attorney to protect your document as much as possible.
Can I use Orbit Wills to create a trust for my minor children when I die?
Trusts for minors are great tools but should be discussed in detail with an attorney. At Orbit Wills, we direct money for minors to go to an account created under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, which permits you to appoint a custodian for the money who will manage the account for the minor child until that child reaches a certain age (18, 21, or 25). In a straightforward estate, that should be all that is required. If you do want a trust for your children, you will need to work with an attorney.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a beneficiary who is disabled and receiving state benefits?
If a beneficiary is disabled and receiving needs-based benefits from the state (i.e., SSI or Medicaid), an inheritance may disqualify them for ongoing benefits. There are ways to protect that person's benefits and allow them to inherit from your estate but it has to be done with very specialized trust language which is not included in a simple Will. If you need such a trust for a beneficiary, you will need to work with an attorney.
My spouse and I signed a prenuptial agreement before we were married - can I still use Orbit Wills?
Prenuptial agreements are very specialized documents because they typically alter your rights under state law with respect to your rights after a spouse dies. A prenuptial agreement should be considered by an attorney in the preparation of your Wills. We would recommend you talk to an attorney to incorporate the prenuptial agreement into your Will.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a blended family and want to make sure my money goes to my kids after my spouse (their step-parent) dies?
Blended families can create several issues in this context and it would be best to discuss your particular situation with a lawyer.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
In case you missed anything and had some more questions.
Why do I need a Will?
You aren’t required to have a Will under Washington State law, but it sure makes things a lot easier if you do. There are a series of state laws that direct what happens if you do not have a Will, based on what the legislature believed most people would want. The statutes may work for your estate but it takes more time and money to deal with your estate than it would if you have a Will. A Will is basically a roadmap that tells the world exactly what you want and how we get there.
Does a Will avoid probate?
No. This is a common misconception but a Will simplifies probate, it does not mean you avoid probate.
What is a living trust?
A living trust is a document created to avoid probate. When created, you need to transfer all of your property into the living trust and then you are the “trustee” of the living trust until you become incapacitated or die. At that point, the person you appoint as the successor trustee would take over and, if everything is done correctly, there would be no probate or court involvement, but the same process would take place to wrap up the business of your life and distribute your estate to the intended beneficiaries. A living trust is a more complicated planning tool and should be done with an attorney.
Who should I appoint as executor?
You should appoint a trustworthy family member or friend as your executor. You can always change the executor later, but it’s important that you are comfortable with the executor when you sign your Will.
I just want to change part of my Will - can I do that with Orbit Wills?
No. Orbit Wills only makes new Wills, which revoke any old Will that you have. If you want to make a change to an existing Will, you should contact an attorney to review your current Will and make the change (a codicil).
I’ve been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Can I still sign a Will?
It depends. If you've been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's but still have lucid days, it might be possible to sign a Will. However, due to the complications with enforcement of a Will signed by a person with such a diagnosis, it would be best for you to work with an attorney to protect your document as much as possible.
Can I use Orbit Wills to create a trust for my minor children when I die?
Trusts for minors are great tools but should be discussed in detail with an attorney. At Orbit Wills, we direct money for minors to go to an account created under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, which permits you to appoint a custodian for the money who will manage the account for the minor child until that child reaches a certain age (18, 21, or 25). In a straightforward estate, that should be all that is required. If you do want a trust for your children, you will need to work with an attorney.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a beneficiary who is disabled and receiving state benefits?
If a beneficiary is disabled and receiving needs-based benefits from the state (i.e., SSI or Medicaid), an inheritance may disqualify them for ongoing benefits. There are ways to protect that person's benefits and allow them to inherit from your estate but it has to be done with very specialized trust language which is not included in a simple Will. If you need such a trust for a beneficiary, you will need to work with an attorney.
My spouse and I signed a prenuptial agreement before we were married - can I still use Orbit Wills?
Prenuptial agreements are very specialized documents because they typically alter your rights under state law with respect to your rights after a spouse dies. A prenuptial agreement should be considered by an attorney in the preparation of your Wills. We would recommend you talk to an attorney to incorporate the prenuptial agreement into your Will.
Can I use Orbit Wills if I have a blended family and want to make sure my money goes to my kids after my spouse (their step-parent) dies?
Blended families can create several issues in this context and it would be best to discuss your particular situation with a lawyer.