Creating an estate plan is an important step toward protecting your family and your assets, but signing your documents shouldn’t be the last time you think about them. Life changes, families evolve, financial circumstances shift, and estate planning and tax laws change, sometimes significantly. That’s why it’s a good idea to sit down with your attorney every three to five years, even if you don’t think anything has changed. Marriage, divorce, the birth or adoption of children or grandchildren, the death of a loved one, changes in your assets, or changes in your relationships with the people you’ve named as beneficiaries or fiduciaries may all warrant revisions to your Will, Revocable Living Trust, Powers of Attorney, or other estate planning documents. Here in Washington, recent changes to the state’s estate tax laws provide yet another reason to make sure your existing plan still accomplishes your goals. An estate plan that made perfect sense five or ten years ago may no longer reflect your wishes or provide the protection your family needs. At the Law Offices of P. Stephen Aita, PLLC, we encourage our clients to treat estate planning as an ongoing process rather than a one-time transaction. Contact our office at 253.858.5434 to schedule an estate plan review and make sure your documents are keeping up with your life.