How We Are Different
We specialize in serving blended families with adult children. Most people don’t realize the legal and financial implications when they go into a second or subsequent marriage and they have children from a previous relationship. Having been raised in a blended family and currently managing my own blended family, I understand the nuances of planning for this special group of people. Estate planning is regulated on a state-by-state basis. Each state has its own scheme for how it treats blended families. In Virginia, for instance, if one of the spouses in a blended family dies without a Will, the state will give 1/3 rd of the probate estate to the surviving spouse and the remaining 2/3rds of the probate estate to the surviving children who are not descendants of the surviving spouse. This may surprise some people who would anticipate a different outcome. Other states may have a 50/50 split between the surviving spouse and children who are not descendants of the surviving spouse. Some states may inadvertently cut out the surviving children who are not descendants of the surviving spouse. It gets even stickier with domestic partnerships or relationships without legal recognition of the state. That’s the problem; when you leave things in the hands of your state you really never know what you are going to get. Therefore, it is even more important that blended families take control of their estate plans and determine how their assets will be distributed upon death.
Regardless of your circumstance, we want to talk to you about your financial life and the legacy that you want to leave. Book your complimentary 15-minute Needs Analysis to determine whether we are the right fit for each other.
How to serve you
Whether you are single with no children, single with children, married with or without children, or LGBTQIA+ with or without children, we have tools and resources to serve your unique needs. We want to guide you through the process of thinking about your financial future and that of your family and what happens when you are no longer here to care for them. We start with your family’s estate planning goals and work with you to determine a plan of action to meet those goals all while keeping your legacy aspirations at the forefront of your decision making.
Our Firm Prepares
You for Life
We understand that you are BUSY, you are growing, you are planning for a life of prosperity and you value ease, convenience and efficiency. You may be raising children and caring for elderly parents, while also working hard to build your own nest egg for a lifetime of support. You want to know that you have made the best decisions for yourself and your family and that your plan will work when your loved ones need it most. At Reflections Life Planning LLC, we see wealth building and estate planning as two bookends to our client’s financial lives. Wealth building is how you handle your finances now during your life, and estate planning is how you plan for the day when you will pass the wealth that you have built down to the people and organizations that mean the most to you. We refer to this holistic process as life & legacy planning.
We Help Transfer
Your 'Family Wealth'
We believe your financial wealth is only a small part of your overall “Family Wealth” which is made up of your far more valuable – and most often lost upon incapacity or death – intellectual, spiritual and human assets. These assets are what make you who you are, and sum up what’s most important to you. A survey of inheritors has revealed that what they care about even more than inheriting your money, is Inheriting these intangible assets. We’ve developed a tool that allows us to capture and pass on your whole family wealth, including your Intellectual, Spiritual and Human assets. I can’t go into all of the details here, but we will definitely talk more about it when you come in for your full Family Wealth Planning Session.
Book Your Initial Needs Analysis here now!