As part of our commitment to have a practice that matches our values and provides a way for clients to express theirs, Phinney Estate Law has established a charity discount program. Under the program, clients leaving gifts of $500 or more to our list of selected charities in their will or trust receive a 10% discount off of their estate planning fees. Current charities include:  Seattle Milk Fund, PAWS, Within Reach, Food Lifeline, PEPS, and Seattle Works. 

Each year we ask our clients and friends to nominate and vote on new charities to add to the list and this year we are limited nominations to Charities operating in the Phinney-Greenwood Neighborhood we call home.  To nominate a charity go to our facebook page and post the name of your nominee on our wall.  We will be accepting nominations until February 14th.  Our only requirements for nomination is that the charity match our firms values of peace, justice, community and family, equality, environmental stewardship, and service to children and vulnerable adults. 

Once a charity is added to the list they are not removed so you don't need to re-vote for any past winners.  In addition to donations from clients, the selected charities are given three Planning Packages a year to use for auctions or other fundraising efforts, the option of free classes for staff, members, or volunteers, and free content on relevant issues to their charity for their website or newsletters.

We are planning to add three more charities this year so we hope you will give us some great choices!   

Congress has now reached a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" and that deal includes new rules on the Federal Estate Tax.  These new rules aren't getting as much coverage as the income tax rules because they effect so many fewer people but they have been a concern for many clients so I wanted to try provide a simple summary.

Under the new deal a federal estate tax of 40% is taxed on all individual estates that exceed $5 million dollars (The prior numbers were 35% on estates over $5.2 million.  Couples can, with proper planning protect each of their personal exemptions and pass $10 million dollars tax free.  Decedents can also leave an unlimited amount to their spouse as long as that spouse is a United States Citizen.  Note: The federal government currently does not recognized legal same sex spouses for this benefit and that issue is currently before the US Supreme Court.

This Federal Estate Tax Exemption is reduced by any reportable gifts during the decedent's life.  A reportable gift is a gift made to someone other than your spouse that exceed $14,000 (Yes, that is a new number) other than direct payment of education and medical expenses.  Indefinite loans can count as gifts as can transfers to irrevocable trusts and below market value sales.

The Washington State Estate tax is unchanged and contains a $2 million per person exemption ($4 million for a couple with proper planning.)   Washington State Estate tax is graduated and less and includes offsets for any federal taxes paid.   Washington State does recognize legal same sex marriages and gives those spouse an unlimited exemption.  It also contains special offsets for operating farms.

Want to develop an estate plan that best addresses your tax issues and other priorities, contact us for a free 1/2 hour consultation.  Prior clients with questions about how this new law might impact their plans are always welcome to call for a free consultation as well.  We can be reached (206) 459-1908 or email us at [email protected].

Thank you to all the clients, friends, family, and neighbors who donated toys and cash for our annual toy drive.  Yesterday, Jesse, our official toy drive organizer, was able to donate gifts for 103 children to the YWCA Emergency Homeless Shelter in Downtown Seattle. This was our most successful drive to date. The agency was very grateful and Jesse is already gearing up for next year.

Happy Holidays!

Holidays can be hard for families with divorce.  At Phinney Estate Law we help families end their marriages with non-litigated alternatives such as collaborative law, mediation, and other unbundled support for reaching settlement.  Whenever those divorces involve children the families need to determine how they will spend the holidays.  People relying on courts to make those choices for them will get a clean and somewhat arbitrary schedule.  People who make their own plans and can supplement that schedule to include the option of spending time together. 

Spending the actual holiday together may be a lofting goal and one that can be achieved in the long run.  (Weddings and holidays in our extended family often include some ex-spouses.)  But it can be a little much when feelings are still raw or when spending time with new partners is too uncomfortable.  Spending the holidays apart is probably better than spending them together and fighting.  Something that might be easier to pull off and without discomfort or spite is a holiday outing on neutral ground.  Woodlawn Park Zoo's Wild Lights Festival would be a good option for such an outing.  Relatively short in duration, festive, fun, lots of distracting things to look at and do so less pressure for chit chat than a dinner, and not so family focuses that in-laws and new partners would feel slighted to be left out.  

Other ideas that work for you family that you would like to share?  Let us know we are always looking for ideas that can help newly divided families co-parent in positive ways.

Hoping to handle your divorce is a way that will maximize your chances of working well as family after the marriage ends?  We highly recommend exploring the various options for doing so that don't involve litigation fights and court imposed decisions.   Call us to schedule a free consultation to learn more about those options and find one that works best for your unique case.  Tel. 206-459-1908 or [email protected].

On a day when same sex couples all over the state are celebrating their new right to marry in this state, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear two cases this term about same sex marriage: a challenge to a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the case against Prop 8.

Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) requires the federal government to discriminate against married same-sex couples and treat them as if they are not married resulting in increased estate tax burdens, lack of access to health benefits, and unequal treatment for government pensions, social security benefits, and vetran's benefits.

This law has been hurting legally married same-sex couples and their families for 16 years and will continue to make same sex marriages less than equal until the law is struck down or changed.
Several circuit courts have found the law unconstitutional but this is the first time the Supreme Court has agreed to take up the issue.

The Court also agreed to review the challenge to Prop 8  brought by AFER, the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Phinney Estate Law is now offering a discount of $100 of Estate Plans for members of the Phinney Neighborhood Association.  To redeem the discount, members should print the coupon off the DoPhinneyWood Website coupon section and present it at their initial consultation along with proof of PNA membership.  While you are there check out the other great discounts from local PNA business members.  There are some great deals!

When you think about giving gifts to older family and friends you may not automatically think high tech but there is some nice new technology out there to help seniors age in place, stay healthy, and maintain independence.  And isn't that better than another bar of scented soap.  Here are three of our favorites.

1. VTech's CareLine phone -- could be useful. The VTech has large buttons and a visual ring to help with vision, hearing, and dexerity issues.  But my favorite feature is the photo speed dial to make it easy for seniors to reach out to caregivers and family without having to remember the every changing phone numbers of a younger generation.  Seniors seeking to remain independent need help finding the right people at the right time. Studies also show a strong correlation between staying connected to others and the health of older adults. A Harvard University report said odds of mental decline doubled for seniors with no social ties compared to those who had frequent contact with relatives and friends or participated in social activities. Researchers in another study found individuals with a rich social network lived at least 1.6 years longer than their peers. The ability to connect easily increases safety and health.

2. The FitBit is a nice tool that allows someone to track their activity levels and sleep patterns.  With encouragement to get active and move and useful information on sleep issues, it can be a real boon to seniors trying to stay active to maintain their health and independence.  Seniors can also easily share their progress and challenge each other with online applications and encouragement.

3. Failing to take medications properly is one of the biggest health risks seniors' face.  Failure to properly manage medications is such a common cause of temporary mental incapacity that as a Guardian ad Litem for seniors I am trained to look for it in every case.  It is also one of the reasons why there is a death in American from accidental overdoses of prescription drugs in America every 19 minutes.  Want to help avoid that with seniors in your life.  There is an app for that.  Irody is a smart phone or tablet application that records medication prescriptions, gives reminders to meds, and can identify medications visually for patients confused about which pill to take. 

At Phinney Estate Law we are always seeking ways to help Seniors maintain their sense of independence and dignity while helping families cooperative manage the challenges that can come with aging.  A good estate plan that includes complete powers of attorney and an advanced health care directives is one of the most powerful tools seniors and their families can use to meet those goals but we encourage families to look for other tools as well and technology is an overlooked option.  For more information on aging in place technology check out this dedicated blog.  And remember, an estate plan makes an unique and useful gift too!  To find out more or to schedule a free half hour consultation, contact us at [email protected] or (206) 459-1908.

Every year the YWCA Downtown Shelters hosts upwards of 120 homeless children on Christmas Eve and for the last five years Phinney Estate Law's annual toy drive has been the main source of toys for those children.  The 2012 drive starts today.

If you would like to participate, please bring a new, unwrapped present for a child age 2 to 18 to our office at 751 N 75th Street, Seattle, Washington.   You can call ahead to make sure someone will there at (206) 459-1908.  Last year we were able to collect more than 80 toys and we are hoping to raise 100 this year.

Mae's Cafe and the Greenwood Senior Center invite the community to this month's Alzheimer's Cafe at the cafe at 6412 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle, WA on November 13th from 3:30-5:00.  This monthly event allows individuals with memory loss and their care givers an opportunity to get out and socialize in a safe and non-judgmental environment and get support from the community and those in similar situations.  There is no cost other than food ordered.  For more information call Social Worker Carin Mack at 206-297-0875 or visit the GSC website.

On November 8th & 9th we had some technical difficulties with our website and email.   These issues are now resolved but if you emailed us on either of those days and have not received a response please let us know so we can ensure that your email was not lost.  Thank you.