Uniform Probate Code — National Adoption
The Uniform Probate Code should be adopted in all 50 states. Inconsistent state probate laws create unnecessary complexity and expense for families with assets in multiple states. A uniform national framework would reduce litigation, lower costs, and make estate administration more predictable for everyone.
Expand Remote Online Notarization
Remote Online Notarization (RON) should be universally available in all 50 states for all legal documents, including real estate transactions. Washington State has led the way. The technology is secure, the convenience is enormous — particularly for elderly, disabled, and geographically remote clients — and there is no legitimate reason to restrict it.
Simplify Spousal Consent Requirements for Retirement Accounts
ERISA's spousal consent requirements for 401(k) beneficiary designations are poorly understood by plan participants and inconsistently administered by custodians. The rules should be simplified, the forms standardized across all custodians, and participants should be affirmatively notified of the requirement at enrollment and at every subsequent beneficiary designation change.
Protect Separate Property Rights During Marriage
Washington State should strengthen the legal infrastructure for separate property trusts — making it easier and less expensive for individuals, particularly women, to hold and protect separate property during marriage. The current system places too much practical burden on the individual to document and defend separate property claims, and too little burden on the party seeking to commingle or claim those assets.
Raise the Washington State Estate Tax Exemption
Washington's $3 million Estate Tax Exemption (2026) is among the lowest in the nation and has not kept pace with real estate appreciation in the Puget Sound region. A middle-class homeowner in Bellevue or Seattle who bought their home decades ago may now have an estate that triggers Washington estate tax — not because they are wealthy, but because housing prices have risen dramatically. The exemption should be indexed to inflation and regional real estate values.
Mandatory Estate Planning Education
Basic estate planning concepts — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, and probate avoidance — should be taught in high school and made available as a free public resource through state bar associations and public libraries. The consequences of dying without a plan fall disproportionately on families with modest means, who can least afford the resulting probate costs and family conflict.
Standardize Transfer on Death Deed Laws Nationally
Transfer on Death Deeds are available in only about half of U.S. states. They are one of the most effective and inexpensive probate-avoidance tools available to homeowners. Every state should adopt a TOD Deed statute modeled on the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act — allowing homeowners to pass real estate to named beneficiaries at death without probate, without losing control during life, and without the cost of a trust.
Sovereign Wealth Funds and State Banks
A Nation should have a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and National Bank. States should have Sovereign Wealth Funds and State Banks. Large Municipalities should have Sovereign Wealth Funds and Municipal Banks.
Each of 10 core government departments — at the national, state, and large municipality level — should have its own endowment so that human needs in those areas could be met without tax revenue. Tax revenue should be added to the Sovereign Wealth Funds and Department Endowments. Five percent of each fund would be sold every year and used for that department's services. That way the tax burden could be alleviated and elected officials would have more money to direct to the needs of their constituents.
The 10 Departments: (1) Universal Basic Income & Insurance Social Safety Net; (2) Education & Training; (3) Healthcare & Necessary Environmental Protection; (4) Housing & Utilities; (5) Transportation; (6) Security, Public Safety, Public Space & Justice; (7) Trade, Commerce, Finance, Labor & Taxes; (8) Communication & USPS; (9) Agriculture, Textiles, Food & Beverage; (10) Infrastructure, Historical Preservation, Arts & Science.
The State Bank would conduct all government business and pay all State benefits to accounts at the bank. Checking would be free for all. Direct Deposit would be free for all. People receiving Social Security, retirement, or pensions would have Exempt Accounts such that no other funds could be deposited and no creditor could attach the funds. All Marijuana business funds could be kept in the State Bank because it would not be FDIC insured, but self-insured. The purpose of the State Bank is to meet the needs of low-income citizens and citizens not currently served by banks — instead of paying for the use of private banks with public funds that could be better spent.
Charitable Remainder Trusts as a National Wealth-Building Strategy
Citizens could create widespread Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) for the benefit of their children and grandchildren. For example, 5% of $1 million is $50,000. So, for $1 million a parent or grandparent could give guaranteed minimum income for life with the remainder to go to the SWF upon death. The recipient pays taxes on the $50,000 in income and can give some of that income to charities, churches, or other non-profits. That way there is an ever-increasing cycle of private benefit and security as well as public benefit and security.
$10 million would give $500,000 a year for life guaranteed. $100 million would give $5 million a year guaranteed. There is no limit.
That would have been a much better use of the money that Fred Trump illegally transferred to his adult children in order to avoid estate tax. A Charitable Remainder Trust avoids estate tax legally and benefits society instead of being a crime with private benefit and tax evasion.
CRTs offer a win-win scenario: they support non-profits and charities, minimize capital gains taxes, provide an immediate income tax deduction, generate a steady income stream, reduce estate taxes, and allow asset diversification without triggering capital gains. The IRS supports the use of CRTs due to the significant positive societal impact generated through charitable giving — recognizing that this tool aligns private financial interests with public benefit.
Important considerations: CRTs are irrevocable. Establishing and maintaining a CRT involves legal and administrative complexities requiring professional guidance. The IRS mandates a minimum payout of 5% of the trust's assets annually. Payments received by non-charitable beneficiaries are taxable as ordinary income and/or capital gains.
A Hippocratic Oath for Lawyers
Lawyers need a professional oath equivalent to the physician's Hippocratic Oath — a public commitment to do no harm, to serve the client's genuine interests rather than merely their stated wishes, and to recognize that the legal system exists to serve justice, not to be weaponized. The adversarial system is essential, but it requires lawyers who understand that zealous advocacy and ethical restraint are not opposites.