Your wealth is not measured by the dollars in the bank, but by the well-being of the people you love. We will help you get your estate planning done so your loved ones will be able to move forward with as much ease and peace as possible when you become incapacitated or die. You will be informed, educated, and empowered to make the right planning decisions for the people you love.
The legal process in the case of incapacity or inheritance is not simple or easy. Our probate courts are clogged with the complexities of money, assets, and family. There are over $58 billion in unclaimed assets in the United States, over $2 billion of that in Virginia. Estate planning is for all those who have anyone and anything they care about, who want to keep those loved ones out of court and their assets protected and available for the people they choose.
Families
You may be single or married, have children or not, be in a traditional or modern relationship. The one common denominator is that you truly and deeply care about the people in your life and you want to make things as easy as possible for them when something happens to you.
We are all unique. Your childhood experiences were different than your best friend’s, your family situations are different, and your concerns and priorities are different. That’s why estate planning is an individualized process and can’t be accomplished with the standardized DIY tools found on the internet.
Chosen Families
No matter who your chosen family is, you have people and things you care about and want to protect.
You want to pass on what you have worked so hard for and do it in a way that helps your loved ones know and feel your love just when they’ll need it most. You want to ensure that your chosen family will be able to care for you in the event you are incapacitated and cannot make financial and healthcare decisions for yourself. Estate planning will let you choose who will take care of you and who will protect and receive what you’ve worked so hard to create.
Single Parents
You have the primary responsibility for ensuring the well-being and care of your children. If something happens to you while they are minors, you want to ensure you’ve decided who will care for them, and how.
Perhaps your child’s other parent would be suitable to take custody of your child if you cannot be there. But in many cases, that’s not possible or desired.
You may also want the financial resources you are leaving behind to be cared for by someone other than your former spouse or partner.
No matter the scenario, as a single parent, you need to take steps to legally document who you would want raising your child, how you would want your child raised, and how you want your assets handled for your child in case anything happens to you.
Life Partners
In many ways, estate planning is most important for you when you are not married but have a life partner. The law does not protect your love if you are not married, period.
You have to take action to ensure you will have access to your loved one’s hospital bedside. Without careful planning, it’s very likely that the person you love most in the world could be blocked from being with you in case of an accident, making health care decisions for you, deciding what you are nourished with, or who gets to see you.
And that is just your healthcare.
We will help you put in place a plan that will also protect your partner’s home, business, finances, and any children you have together.
Married with Children
When you are married with children, estate planning seems pretty straightforward. You want your spouse to make decisions for you if you can’t, and you want your assets to go to your spouse when you die, and then to your children.
Seems simple, right?
There are myriad questions that need to be answered to ensure your family is prepared in the event of your incapacity or death. There are also some tactical specifics that need to happen to ensure your assets don’t end up lost to the state department of unclaimed property because your family overlooks something when you can’t be there to guide them.
Blended Families
If you are in a second (or beyond) marriage, and you have children from a prior marriage, you must engage in estate planning that will keep the people you love out of conflict.
No matter how close or friendly you think your new spouse and your children are, there is simply an unavoidable, inherent conflict between them upon your death.
Having said that, this conflict can be mitigated and you can ensure that the people you love most — your spouse and your children — will each be well taken care of with the most ease possible. You can even take steps that will support their being on the same team with each other in a time of grief.