We had beautiful weather and lots of wonderful people come out to SAFE’s Fall Open House and Estate Planning Seminar. Many guests of all ages came out to meet the horses and learn more about the rescue, as well as to participate in a discussion about future estate planning.

We love having the chance to share SAFE and its mission with the community and introduce the horses. They were all very happy to meet and greet their fans. A few even showed off their inquisitive nature, “hamming it up” for the crowd.

After the open house came to a close, we sat down for a special talk on managing estates through the creation of wills and trusts. Andrew Norman, founding principal of Voya Financial Advisors Bellevue branch, and Scott M. Weitz, J.D., LL.M, managing partner of Weitz Law Firm of Kirkland, shared with us the fundamentals of creating a plan and how to make certain your wishes are followed in the event of your passing. They shared many stories and lessons learned from clients they have helped over the years.

One of the biggest messages from the discussion was that it is never too early to sit down and get your estate plan completed! It is essential that you take time to create a legal document that clearly outlines what you want to happen to both your intangible assets such as bank accounts as well as your tangible assets such as your pets. A quick annual review of documents helps insure that your documents remain up to date as as your life changes. One participant at the seminar spoke about what a sense of relief it was for her to go through this process and write up her will. We hope that you take the time to get the documents drawn up for peace of mind for both your family and pets. A special thanks to our guest speakers for taking the time to come to SAFE and share with all of us the important work they do for their clients.

We want to send a BIG THANK YOU to all the hard working volunteers who helped organize and clean the stables for the event, as well as those who gave tours and ran the bake sale and the SAFE booth. Here are a few candid photos that volunteer Jessica Farren took for us during the open house and the Estate Planning Seminar: