Estate Planning for Northern Virginia Families
Estate planning has two main goals — to look after people and to look after assets. A basic will can look after assets, but only to a certain extent. A will is a static document that dictates only how assets will be distributed after the death of its maker.
Individuals with even moderate assets — and all families with minor children — should consider creating a more complete estate plan containing several legal instruments to protect your financial assets, yourself and your family.
The Estate Planning Practice at Hale Carlson Baumgartner, PLC
Fairfax County, Virginia — 703-763-0374
Since 1980, Hale Carlson Baumgartner, PLC, has offered confident and ethical legal services to individuals and businesses in and around Fairfax County. Our estate planning attorneys are leaders in the local community, as well as attorneys who teach other lawyers about estate planning via continuing education seminars.
Learn more about estate planning for businesses on the Business Success Planning page of this Web site.
Our estate planning attorneys treat their work as a combination of creating a "family business plan" and a "family safety plan." Many of our attorneys come from a business background, and we have a deep understanding of how to craft and plan legal documents to get clients what they want while working within the constraints of the law. We listen to our clients' needs and create unique estate plans based on their goals and stage of life:
- A young person with a first house and a new retirement plan
- A family with young children
- A couple entering a second marriage, with children or assets from their first marriages
- An older couple planning on how to maximize their retirement accounts and maximize the assets available to their beneficiaries after death
The Contents of an Estate Plan
A basic estate plan will include a will, an advance medical directive (or living will) and a durable power of attorney to give another trusted person access to finances for your care in the event of incapacity. Many estate plans will also include some form of trust document. Trusts are more flexible planning documents that can be used for many purposes, including minimizing estate taxes and asserting a higher level of control over the assets bequeathed to a beneficiary.
Learn More - Free Consultations Available for Selected Cases
We encourage you to learn more about our estate planning practice, including our work in estate litigation and estate and trust administration.
Or, for answers to specific questions about your own family's estate plan, schedule a confidential appointment with one of our estate planning lawyers. Call 703-763-0374 or use our online contact form.
