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<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><font size="3" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Listmates,</strong> here's one to get you reaching for your old copy
of Harry Cross' Community Property law review article. </font><br>
</span><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><br><font size="3">
It's the classic stepmother vs. child from the first marriage. <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Client
is named as beneficiary of her recently deceased father's IRA account
(incidentally she is also named as the PR in his will and is</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">his sole heir in
the will to all of this property).<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
The father's surviving spouse (the client's stepmother) is also claiming the
entire IRA account.<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
The IRA was opened after his marriage to the stepmother, but the source of the
funds can be traced to reveal it was about 15% separate funds and 85% community
funds. (by the way the funds came from an 40lk rolled over into the IRA,
which 40lk was 85%/15% community vs. separate funds)<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">The
IRA beneficiary form says if a community property state is involved then the
form naming someone other than surviving spouse as a beneficiary has to have
been signed by the surviving spouse. The surviving spouse had
refused to sign as of the date of death. <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">. </font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
<strong>RCW 26.16.030</strong> provides in part: <br></font><font size="3">
</font><font size="3">
(1) Neither person shall devise or bequeath by will more than one-half of the
community property.<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
(2) Neither person shall give community property without the express or
implied consent of the other.<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
</font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
My view of community property is that each spouse owns half, unless an
agreement or court says otherwise, so in a person's will they</font><b><font size="3"> can</font></b><font size="3"> leave
their 1/2 of community property to whomever they choose.<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
However, an IRA is a nonprobate asset, not normally controlled by a
will (unless it is a superwill, which this is not).<br></font><font size="3">
<br></font><font size="3">
<strong>My conclusion </strong>is that the surviving spouse gets 100% of the community
property portion of the account because the will has no effect upon the
nonprobate asset. And, the beneficiary designation for the
IRA account to his daughter cannot control the community property portion of
the IRA account.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Therefore,
the answer on who gets the money is just an accounting exercise to
establish (1) what % of the invested funds were separate funds and (2) how much
the current balance is the earnings and accumulations on the separate portion
and how much on the community portion?? <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Thus, the
lions share of the account goes to the surviving spouse and the much smaller
portion goes to the daughter? <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"><strong>Am
I right so far??<o:p></o:p></strong></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Any
comments would help.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Thanks,
<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3"> <o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;'><font size="3">Dale
Young<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></font>
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