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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I would be grateful for your knowledge if you know whether a qualified custodian under our state’s UTMA can permissibly collect a decedent’s personal property by a small
estate affidavit as “successor” on behalf of the decedent’s sole heir, a minor child.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">My clients’ adult son died, leaving no surviving spouse, one 11-year-old son, and individual items of personal property. Each item is worth less than $30,000, and all items
together are worth less than $100,000 collectively.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Clients get along very well with minor grandchild and his surviving mother (who was never married to the decedent, to be clear).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I have very little experience with small estate affidavits and custodianships, but I believed (hoped?) these grandparents (or one of them) could sign a small estate affidavit
as the decedent’s parents (having priority of appointment as PR) and as qualified custodians for their grandchild under Washington’s UTMA. I intended to have them open a custodial bank account at the same bank holding decedent’s funds (where they bank as well),
and to deposit the proceeds of life insurance, a car, and a small amount of cash into the custodial account. Voila! (Rather, voila?)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">If I am reading UTMA correctly, I “think” each obligor can, without court appointment of the grandparent, turn over each individual asset to the grandparents as custodians
so long as each is under $30,000 in value . . . if they can also sign a small estate affidavit on behalf of the minor child “successor.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">So, I “think” the relevant issue is:
<b>is it permissible to modify the small estate affidavit so that the grandparent is signing it as custodian for the minor child as sole heir and successor to decedent and only with respect to individual assets not exceeding $30,000 in value?</b>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Or is this one of those things that “works if the obligor allows it to work and hands over the asset” but “doesn’t work and you have zero leverage if the obligor declines”?
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Have I happened upon a fact pattern that requires court appointment of the grandparent as Administrator of the decedent’s intestate estate, despite the seeming necessity
or justification for incurring that cost?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Happy Thanksgiving?
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif">😉</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> (No, really: Happy Thanksgiving!!)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks, Josh
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Joshua D. McKarcher<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">McKarcher Law PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">537 6th Street<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Clarkston, WA 99403<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(509) 758-3345<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(509) 758-3314 (fax)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:josh@mckarcherlaw.com"><span style="color:blue">josh@mckarcherlaw.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://www.mckarcherlaw.com"><span style="color:blue">www.mckarcherlaw.com</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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