Fairfax Station, Virginia Estate Planning Attorneys

Make sure your loved ones are cared for after your passing, and don’t let your affairs be left intestate. Residents in and around Fairfax Station and Annandale, Virginia, have a law firm ready to step in and help them with all of their estate planning needs. This includes any debt incurred by the state. At HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC Carlson Baumgartner Murphy, PLC, you can count on our team of attorneys to help you with a wide range of services, including drafting and updating a last will and testament, handling power of attorney issues, establishing trusts, planning for second marriages, and even helping ensure that your pets are taken care of. Our Fairfax Station estate planning lawyers are ready to get to work reviewing your situation today. Let us help secure you and your family’s financial future today.

Your Fairfax Station Estate Planning Needs

Fairfax Station is an area of true beauty in Fairfax County. This is a family area that is a safe and secure place for your children and grandchildren. You understand the importance of ensuring your future and theirs with an estate plan that can carry on your success and legacy.

The Fairfax Station estate planning attorneys at HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC have been helping individuals and families handle all of their estate needs for years, and we will be honored to help you with any of the following:

• Wills – Your last will and testament is a legal document used to keep your loved ones and your estate protected after you pass away. This document will provide written instructions that reflect who you want to inherit your assets as well as who you want to take care of any minor children that are under your care. Wills should be updated regularly after their creation to account for any changes in your life’s circumstances.
• Trusts – There are various types of trusts that we help clients with in Fairfax Station. This includes living trusts which allow a person to be the trustee over their assets during their lifetime and to direct the distribution of those assets upon their passing. A trust is a vehicle used to avoid having your assets go into probate after your death, and can help you maintain assets for the benefit of others while strategizing effective tax planning. There are many different types of trusts, including traditional trusts (ex. spendthrift trusts) and non-traditional trusts (ex. resulting and constructive trusts).
• Powers of Attorney – A power of attorney (POA) is a document that allows for one person (the agent) to have control over various aspects of another person’s (the principal) life. There are various types of powers of attorney that can be used, and these generally revolve around giving another person the authority to handle financial or medical decisions. At HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC, our Fairfax Station estate planning attorneys can help with the creation of a general POA as well as durable powers of attorney and springing powers of attorney.
• Estate Tax Planning – Taxes may be inevitable, but you can also plan your estate wisely to avoid paying more taxes than you ought to. At HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC, our attorneys can help you craft a comprehensive estate plan to fit your needs. We have extensive and up-to-date knowledge about tax laws that we will bring to the table, including information about tax record keeping.
• Trust Administration – If you have been tasked with the trust administration in Fairfax Station, VA, whether for your own trust during your lifetime or the trust of another person’s assets, our attorneys can help guide you through this process. We understand how important it is for a trust to be managed properly and that the assets are distributed to beneficiaries in accordance with the purpose of the trust.
• Estate Planning for Second Marriages – Second marriages are common. Whether you are remarrying after a divorce or after the death of a spouse, it is crucial that you also update your estate plan in accordance with any changes. Remarrying is a major life change. If you want to establish a prenuptial agreement or ensure that your current spouse is included in your estate plan, the Fairfax Station estate attorneys are standing by to help you.
• Pet Trusts – Our pets are important, and they should also be included in a comprehensive estate plan. At HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC, our attorneys can help you establish a pet trust to ensure that your loyal companion is properly cared for in the event you become disabled or pass away.

How is your Fairfax Station estate taxed?

The Commonwealth of Virginia does not have an estate tax. However, your Fairfax Station estate will be subject to federal estate taxes. The current federal estate tax is 40%. While that number may seem alarming, there is currently an $11.58 million exemption per person for these taxes. This exemption is doubled to $23.16 million for a married couple. What this means is that an estate will only be taxed at the 40% rate for any amount that goes over the exemption.

The Fairfax Station state planning attorneys at HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC want you to know that the federal estate tax exemption will increase every year to adjust for inflation until 2025. In 2026, the exemption is supposed to revert back to 2017 levels, which were $5.49 million per person. Congress may or may not choose to extend the current exemptions at that point.

Do I control my assets still?

Yes, when you make an estate plan in Fairfax Station, VA, you will generally maintain control over all of your assets. When you are establishing a last will and testament, that document does not take effect until you pass away. Even if you establish a trust and transfer your assets into the trust during your lifetime, you can still be the trustee over the assets until you pass. The only exception to when you may not have control over your assets is if you become disabled, and you have a durable power of attorney in place that allows another person to assume control. However, if you are of sound mind, you can revoke any power of attorney.

Whether you need to create an estate, create a pet trust, draft a will, or make sure an estate is completed and closed, we are here for you. Contact our experienced team today for legal assistance.

Contact a Fairfax Station estate planning lawyer today

If you or somebody you care about have any questions regarding your estate, feel free to reach out to us for a free review of these issues. At HALE BALL MURPHY, PLC, our knowledgeable team has extensive experience helping clients handle a wide range of estate planning needs, from drafting last wills and testaments and powers of attorney to handling complicated trusts and estate tax planning.

Fairfax Station is a short drive to our office in Fairfax (only about three miles). Depending on where you are coming from in Fairfax Station, you are likely going to want to hop onto Ox Road and head towards the Country Club of Fairfax. Keep driving towards Fairfax, past Braddock Road. Once you drive past Fairfax City Hall, be ready to take a left on Judicial Drive. Once you make that left, you will see our offices on the left.

When you need a Fairfax Station estate planning lawyer, you can contact us for a free review of your estate planning matter by clicking here or calling 703.591.4900.