Success Stories

A blended family couple came to us with a unique challenge: how to fairly divide their estate among their seven children from previous marriages, while also ensuring that the surviving spouse would be cared for. Their estate included a shared home, rental property, retirement accounts, bank accounts, vehicles, and other personal assets. In addition to their jointly owned property, each spouse had kept certain assets separate during the marriage, and they wanted to ensure that those assets would pass to their own children and grandchildren. After meeting with them several times to understand their priorities and family dynamics, we designed a comprehensive estate plan. This included a joint revocable living trust and pour-over wills, which ensured that the surviving spouse would be financially secure, while also guaranteeing that both joint and separate assets would be distributed according to each spouse’s wishes. The result was a customized plan that gave them peace of mind, protected their legacy, and strengthened family harmony.

A retired client came to us with a clear vision for her legacy: she wanted her estate to go directly to her grandchildren rather than her children, who were already financially secure. Her assets included a home, retirement savings, life insurance, and other investments. With grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 24, she wanted to be sure that each would receive an equal share when they turned 30—adjusted for inflation—while also allowing them to benefit from certain assets as they came of age. This presented a unique planning challenge: ensuring that funds would remain available decades into the future, while maintaining fairness across generations. After understanding her goals, we crafted a customized estate plan using a revocable living trust and pour-over will. The trust directed her assets into safe, interest-bearing investments and included detailed instructions for the trustee to distribute inflation-adjusted amounts to each grandchild upon reaching age 30. The plan also allowed for earlier inheritances of certain property as grandchildren matured, with the remainder distributed equally after the youngest grandchild came of age. This creative solution gave our client peace of mind, knowing her legacy would be preserved and passed on exactly as she envisioned.

A successful local business owner came to us with significant concerns about liability and succession. He owned a small business, several investment properties, retirement accounts, and life insurance, and wanted to ensure that his assets were protected if someone sued his business or was injured on one of his properties. At the same time, he wanted a clear plan so that his business could continue smoothly after his passing and his properties could be fairly divided among his children. We developed a tailored solution by creating a Virginia Business Trust. This structure provided separate liability protection for each of his assets, shielding both his business and real estate from unnecessary risk. The trust also established successor trustees and beneficiaries to ensure continuity of operations and equal distribution of his properties and other assets. With this plan in place, he gained peace of mind knowing his business, investments, and family legacy were secure for the future.

An elderly couple approached us with concerns about the rising cost of nursing home care and how quickly it could deplete the savings they had worked their whole lives to build. They wanted to ensure that if one spouse required long-term care, the other would remain financially secure at home, while still preserving assets to pass on to their children. Their estate included their family home, retirement savings, and other investments that they feared might be consumed by long-term care expenses. We created a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust tailored to their needs. This allowed them to safeguard their home and a significant portion of their savings, while positioning them to qualify for Medicaid benefits if care became necessary. By protecting their assets from being spent down, the plan ensured financial security for the healthy spouse and preserved a legacy for their children. The couple left with peace of mind knowing they had a strategy in place for both immediate protection and long-term planning.