You might be single. You might be partnered. You might be married. What you don't have are kids — by choice or by circumstance. The default inheritance rules were written assuming you do. They're a poor fit for what you actually want.
In Virginia and most states, the default inheritance rules — what happens if you have no plan — send your assets to your closest blood relatives. For people without kids, that often means siblings, then nieces and nephews, then more distant relatives you may not have seen in twenty years.
For some people, that's exactly right. For many others, the people who actually matter — a partner you never married, close friends, a chosen family, the nonprofit that gave your life meaning — get nothing.
A plan lets you put that right. It also lets you make decisions about your own care that don't default to the same distant relatives, who would otherwise be the ones the court calls if you became incapacitated.
Without a healthcare directive and a power of attorney, the court will appoint someone — and the law has a default order. Naming the right person, in writing, is the single highest-leverage decision.
Friends, partners, godchildren, mentors, communities — the people who really matter often have no legal status. A well-drafted plan gives them the status you intend them to have.
When there's no obvious next-generation heir, charitable bequests often become a much bigger part of the plan. Done right, they can also reduce estate tax materially.
Plans for people without children put extra weight on incapacity decisions, chosen-family designations, and charitable structures. We also pay close attention to long-term care planning — there's often no obvious caregiver to default to.