There are many reasons to make sure you have an estate plan after remarriage. In this brief space I will address a few.

We are all familiar with the sitcom Modern Family, and many of us live in a “modern” family.  That is because 3 out of 4 people who divorce eventually remarry.

According to data published by the Pew Research Center, 6 in 10 women in remarriages are living in what the Census Bureau calls a “blended family.”

However, we have come a long way since the Brady Bunch. Today’s modern family may have step children and step parents, but they may also include half siblings and adopted siblings.

Blended families are faced with unique challenges such as co-parenting with another family and finding balance for children who live between two homes. Planning your estate with a blended family also presents unique challenges, like how to provide for your spouse without accidentally disinheriting your biological children.

Let’s assume: 1) your spouse has children, 2) your spouse does not adopt your children, and 3) your assets consist of retirements funds and a jointly owned home with your spouse. What if according to the laws of your state, in the absence of an estate plan everything passes to your spouse? And what if your spouse dies without an estate plan and all his assets — including the ones he inherits from you — go to his children? Your children get nothing. Clearly, this is not a desirable outcome.

A better alternative is to establish a plan that provides for your children, your spouse and perhaps your spouse’s children.

For example, you may want a trust that allows your spouse to use the assets in your estate for the remainder of his life, then pass those assets to your children. Or you may wish to leave a portion of your assets to your children outright and leave the remainder to your spouse. In this scenario, you might consider who will manage your children’s assets. You might also consider a trust that protects your spouses’ children if your spouse remarries, gets sued or dies.

Other factors to consider include the impact of divorce agreements and marital property laws. If there are minor children, planning for their custody adds further complexity. Suppose you don’t want your ex-spouse to take custody of your children? What are your options?

There are many things to think about when planning an estate after remarriage. Be clear about your intentions and reach out to experts to address your concerns. Contact Global Law PLLC or call 703-712-8000 for more information about to create an estate plan for your blended family.

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

We defend federal employees in proposed disciplinary actions. When a federal employee is facing proposed discipline it is important for them to speak with an attorney knowledgeable in federal employment law for legal advice and representation. This article outlines some brief thoughts for federal employees as they respond to proposed disciplinary actions.

Types of Proposed Discipline

Most proposed disciplinary or adverse actions for federal employees fall into 3 general categories for federal employees: (1) proposed suspension or demotion actions based on misconduct; (2) proposed removal actions based on misconduct; and (3) proposed removal actions based on performance deficiencies (i.e. a PIP).

Proposed Disciplinary Action

When a federal employee receives a proposed disciplinary action (suspension of 14 days or less) or an adverse action (suspension of over 14 days to removal), they should read over the notice very carefully. Each federal agency sets their own deadlines for submitting responses and requesting information relied upon and these deadlines are usually strict.

Along with a copy of the proposed discipline, when it is issued, the federal agency may provide an employee a copy of the materials in the evidence file (documents, reports, emails, recordings, video, photographs, etc) that they are relying upon in proposing the action (often referred to as the “information relied upon.”).

It is critical for a federal employee to request and obtain these materials prior to responding in writing or orally.

Response to the Proposed Disciplinary Action

It is important for a federal employee to not only submit a comprehensive written response, along with documentation (affidavits, character letters, statements or other evidence) refuting the charges and specifications or in providing arguments for mitigation, but also to request an oral response.

The Written Response

The written response to a proposed disciplinary action should address all of the allegations raised in the proposed discipline, in addition to providing records of the employee’s good performance/work records, and other commendations for use in potential reduction of any penalty.

While it is very important to both rebut or respond to the allegations, it is equally important to make arguments under the Douglas factors for purposes of reducing the penalty (e.g. reducing a proposed removal to a suspension).

The purpose of mitigation arguments are to show why the federal employee, even if some or all of the charges are true, should receive a less harsh penalty than proposed. Read More

This is a sponsored post from Becky’s Pet Care, a professional pet care service in Northern Virginia.

Meet Pipley, a domestic short hair and tabby mix available for adoption locally.

Here is what his friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say about him:

Pipley is amazingly affectionate and playful. He was the runt of the litter, but don’t let his size fool you — he leads the crew. He’s our little greeter. Consider adopting him with his sister Petunia.

Are you and Pipley a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?

Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.

Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.

Founding Farmers Reston is now open and has all of your lunch needs covered! Get out of the office and take a real break while you lunch or meet with friends for some light bites and drinks at the bar.

Located on the Silver Line at the Wiehle-Reston East Station, the restaurant is just steps from the Metro. With validated parking and $3 valet, parking is easy! Reserve your table today.

They’re also open for full service breakfast Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. with complimentary Wi-Fi, or grab & go style at their First Bake Café. The café is your on the go, one stop shop for coffees, teas, cold pressed juices, breakfast burritos, donuts and more!

Open seven days serving up breakfast, lunch, dinner and a can’t miss Farmers Market Buffet Brunch on weekends. Make your way over to Reston Station to see all that Founding Farmers has to offer. To view menus or to make a reservation, visit WeAreFoundingFarmers.com.

This is a sponsored post by Anna Gibson, owner of AKG Design Studio and an award-winning, certified kitchen and bathroom designer. AKG Design Studio is a boutique design firm specializing in kitchen, bathroom designs and cabinetry sales. Contact Anna at 571-989-2541 or [email protected], and follow her work on Houzz; Pinterest; Facebook and Twitter.

As we get into warmer weather and we switch from heat to air conditioning, finding ways to be more energy efficient in our kitchens can help the environment and our utility bills. Here is our short list of how to have a more energy efficient kitchen.

LED Lights — Recessed, under cabinet and such not only save money on energy costs, but it also produces less heat which is essential in the kitchen.

One thing to remember is kitchens heat up naturally from cooking. So, to have the ability to make sure to put LED lights on dimmers will help keep your kitchen cooler, since we do not need light at 100% output all the time.  

Energy Efficient Appliances — According to website Alliance, Energy Star appliance can help households save up to 30% on their electric bills. Another benefit of energy-efficient appliances is they help you cook faster and healthier light meals. The Steam Combi Ovens allows you to cook all your meal at once in less than 30 minutes.  

Dishwashers — Many homeowners feel that they use the same money/water by hand washing. That is wrong. Dishwasher requires less than one-third the water it would take to do those same dishes in the sink.

A tip to save even more is don’t use the heated dry cycle. A heated dry period can add 15% to 50% to the appliance’s operating cost. Run the dishwasher only when full or if you have the option utilize the dishwasher’s short cycle.

Refrigerators — Did you know your fridge is one of the biggest energy consumers in your home?

Check the temperature inside to be sure you are utilizing the temperature control that is the most energy efficient. Your fridge should be between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit (2.78 – 4.44 degrees Celsius), and 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) for the freezer. If your refrigerator is running colder than that, you are wasting energy. 

Also, avoid putting super hot food in the fridge, keep the leftover to cool outside and only when in room temp, place in the refrigerator. Allowing your hot dishes outside of the fridge will help the refrigerator with keeping the temp leveled and not work extra hard to make up for the heat source inside it.

Vampire Energy — Vampire energy, also known as standby power, is the electric power consumed by many consumer electronic devices when they are switched off but still plugged in, and that wasted electricity is costing you consumer’s money. We have lots of those in the kitchen.

Most households leave their toasters, coffee machines and cell phone chargers plugged in a while, not in use. An easy solution comes from Lutron with the Lutron Maestro Wireless Plug-In Appliance Modules. You can plug in your appliances to the system and set them to go off the grid while you are not home or asleep.

This is a sponsored post from Becky’s Pet Care, a professional pet care service in Northern Virginia.

Meet Bowie, a Labrador Retriever mix available for adoption locally.

Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:

Bowie along with his sister Roxy are gorgeous little Labrador mix babies of maybe 16 weeks old. He has a beautiful yellow coat and is a happy, friendly boy — he’s going to make his adopter’s a terrific companion.

There are also two more siblings that I’m waiting to get pics of so stay tuned for more. All of these lab mix pups have happy, affectionate dispositions and will be great family dogs.

Precious pups like these go fast, so please send your application on in pronto so you don’t miss out. Bowie is up to date on all shots and dewormings and carries an adoption fee of $355 which includes his micro chip. This extremely friendly little fella is going to bring lots of joy to some lucky adopters, so don’t delay.

Are you and Bowie a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?

Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.

Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.

If you want to achieve your most cherished goals, you have to make your money work hard for you — and that means putting together a systematic and attainable plan.

According to many financial experts, the success of a long-range savings and investment plan is predicated not on the rate of return, but on the use of a systematic plan.

A financial plan, a central component to any comprehensive investment process, can help you avoid expensive financial mistakes that can seriously damage your financial health, including taking on too much debt, not saving enough and placing too much of your financial assets in investments with a high level of risk.

A Comprehensive Investment Process

In developing a comprehensive investment plan, you need to start by gathering information. By taking a careful look at your assets and liabilities, insurance coverage, how long you have to save for retirement and the tax status of your various accounts, you can better prepare for your future.

As you are reviewing your current financial situation, you will want to identify issues and opportunities. Depending on where you are in your financial life cycle, you may have specific short- and long-term goals to consider.

• During the Wealth Accumulation phase, as you are gathering and building assets, you may also be establishing your career and family, planning for your children’s education and saving for retirement.
• During the Wealth Distribution phase, when you have built a strong portfolio of assets, you may be considering retirement, purchasing a second home, helping your children financially and developing an estate plan.
• The Wealth Transfer phase represents the culmination of a successful strategy as you prepare to transfer your wealth to your heirs and favorite charities in a tax-advantaged way, both during your life and at death.

All of this information should be factored into your financial plan. A Financial Advisor can evaluate where you are financially and help you plan for the future.

Next, you and your Financial Advisor need to develop an investment strategy to put your financial plan into action.

This strategy should consider risk vs. reward, proper asset allocation and portfolio diversification. Together, you and your Financial Advisor can develop a plan designed to minimize risk and maximize opportunities that can help you reach your goals.

Once your plan is designed, you need to implement it. Your Financial Advisor will help you choose quality investments to put your strategies to work.

Regular reviews of your investment plan help ensure that your asset allocation and investment strategies continue to meet your changing needs.

Article approved by Robert W. Baird & Co. for Matthew Cash, Financial Advisor at the Reston office of Robert W. Baird & Co., member SIPC. Matt has 9 years of financial services industry experience, and can be reached at 571.203.1677, or [email protected]. Robert W. & Co. does not offer tax or legal advice.

Written by Mina Fies, Synergy Design & Construction

Most homeowners avoid remodeling projects because they’re afraid of the disruption (and the mess) it will create in their home.

While it’s impossible to completely avoid dust and debris during the process a great contractor will go the extra mile to keep the disruption to a minimum. A few signs to look for in a well-organized job site include:

• Temporary plastic walls and zippered doorways to separate construction areas from the rest of the home
• Floor protection is installed to protect walkways to and from the outside
• HEPA Air Scrubber or other high powered vacuum is in use
• The dumpster is frequently emptied to minimize dangerous (and unsightly) conditions
• Garage or staging area is organized with tools in place at the end of each day
• The spaces being renovated are broom swept daily and left in an orderly fashion

Our featured renovation this month is a Reston townhouse kitchen and first floor. The original floor plan didn’t allow the spaces to interact well. We opened it up from the entry to the kitchen and main living area.

The home is now flooded with light and the updated space is great for entertaining. “What was especially nice was that everything was clean when I came home every night. They took time to clean every day and didn’t have boards and tools lying around everywhere,” commented another happy Synergy client.

Watch the video of our team in action in the field. You can see more of our remodeling transformations and behind-the-scenes videos at RenovateHappy.com.

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

When an individual with a security clearance is submitted for a security clearance upgrade, any previously existing security concerns are scrutinized again, but at a higher level.

For instance, if an individual has been previously approved for a Secret level clearance and is then submitted for a Top Secret (TS) level clearance by their employer, the individual could be denied based on the same concerns that existed when he or she was approved for a Secret level clearance.

This more often occurs when the individual holds a Top Secret (TS) clearance but is applying for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access, “TS/SCI.”

Clearance Upgrade Dilemma

One common problem with security clearance upgrades occurs when an employer submits a request to upgrade an individual’s security clearance (e.g., from Secret to Top Secret).

Sometimes the individual is made aware of the requested upgrade by the employer and sometimes he or she is not. It is possible that an individual can be approved for a lower level security clearance with existing security concerns, but that he or she can still be denied when submitting for a security clearance upgrade even if there are no new security concerns.

As an example, suppose an individual is approved for a Top Secret security clearance by the Department of Defense (DoD), after mitigating some security concerns about past due debts or bad credit, and is then submitted for SCI access at an intelligence agency.

The intelligence agency may consider those debts more serious than the DoD, and deny the person SCI access approval based on the same financial issues that were first resolved favorably when the individual applied for his or her Top Secret clearance.  This upgrade denial can potentially have significant consequences.

Result of Unfavorable Upgrade

The result of a clearance upgrade denial might be that the individual, at best, likely has to list the prior denial in future clearance applications, and at worst, could cause the individual to lose (or have to defend) his or her existing security clearance.

Depending on the employer and federal agency involved, there are appeals processes to challenge the clearance upgrade denial, but it is something to seriously consider if there are security concerns in one’s background and a clearance upgrade is proposed.

Conclusion

It is important to consider the impact of upgrading a security clearance or security access before applying when there are previous security concerns at issue. Individuals should consult with counsel if they have any security concerns at issue.

If you need assistance with a severance agreement or other employment matter, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook.

Dining in Reston just got more delicious!

Founding Farmers Reston is opening next Wednesday, April 11, and they offer something for everyone. Their full-service restaurant and bar is open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and a decadent Farmers Market Buffet Brunch on weekends. The restaurant’s beautiful design, comfortable spaces and original art are worth the trip alone. Reserve your table today.

Or stop by their Founding Farmers First Bake Cafe for freshly-made Grab & Go goodies.

• Get your day going with a quick and healthy breakfast.
• Quench your thirst with a farm health fresh-pressed juice.
• Grab a dozen donuts and a carton of their specialty-roasted Compass Coffee to share with everyone at the office.
• Enjoy an afternoon treat with a fresh-baked cookie or their house-churned ice cream.

As a farmer-owned restaurant, almost all of Founding Farmers food and drink — even the Founding Spirits they use in their craft cocktails — is made from scratch, using high-quality ingredients from American family farms.

Make your way over to Reston Station to see all that Founding Farmers has to offer.

Meet Chloe, a domestic short hair adult tabby available for adoption locally.

Here is what her friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say about her:

Chloe is quite the love. She wants nothing more than to sit right next to you during the day or lie next to you all night, She is gentle and sweet.

She recently lost her home where she had lived for ten years when she just got too stressed when the family grew to having three children under five years of age and the other cat in the home started picking on her. Poor Chloe.

Her previous family also let her weight get out of control and she came to us just under 22 pounds! We have had her on a diet and she has lost weight. She needs to be adopted by a very responsible person who can love her enough to keep her on her diet so that she stays healthy.

Chloe is quite lovely with brown tabby markings with streaks of red and orange color throughout. This cat is so affectionate and loving that we know the person who adopts her will be very lucky indeed. Chloe is ten years old.

Interested in buying a new home or designing your own?  Get a glimpse of the best new construction homes that Northern Virginia has to offer — on Saturday April 7 at 12 p.m.!

Join the Keri Shull Team for an exclusive FREE luxury tour around the latest and greatest new construction communities of Loudoun County including Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes. Hosted by New Construction Specialists from the Keri Shull Team, this luxury tour around Loudoun will take you through these new communities, while going over the ins and outs of building or buying a brand new home.

Perfect opportunity to discover your new home, meet your future developer or find your next inspiration!

Ride in style with the Keri Shull Team — Saturday, April 7! Wine and hors d’oeurves included — absolutely free!

Attendees of New Construction Limo Tour will receive our exclusive guarantee: Move up to any of our new construction listings and we will sell your current home for free!

Event details

• What: New Construction Limo Tour
• When: Saturday April 7th, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
• Where: Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes
• Cost: FREE
• Contact:  [email protected] or call 571-969-7653

Space is limited, so sign up today before it fills up! Register at: Loudouncountytour.com.

This is a sponsored post from Becky’s Pet Care, a professional pet care service in Northern Virginia.

Meet Merci, a English Shepherd mix available for adoption locally.

Here is what her friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about her:

Sweet, happy, playful and affectionate are all words that describe adorable Merci. She’s just one year old and weighs in at an ideal 40 pounds, a very nice medium size. Our best guess is that she has English shepherd and border collie in her but without a DNA test it’s hard to know for sure.

She was so well behaved in our office for her photo session- not over active but focused on helping us show her off. This very friendly, pretty girl would like nothing better than a family of her own so she could share her oversize store of love- precious dogs like Merci go fast, so please send your application on in pronto so you don’t miss out.

Merci is up to date on all shots and dewormings, has been spayed and carries an adoption fee of $350 which includes her micro chip. This extremely friendly little baby girl is going to bring lots of joy to some lucky adopters, so don’t delay.

Are you and Merci a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?

Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.

Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.

The average age of a Reston adult is about 40, which means their parents are approaching retirement age.

While 40-somethings are focused on career and making sure their kids are getting prepared for college, are they also making sure their parents are prepared for retirement?

Our parents will inevitably need some form of long term care during their retirement years, so careful estate planning is important. Notably, the key word in estate planning is planning. Surprisingly, too many people do not have an adequate plan.

I have found in my practice that many people mistakenly think Medicare covers all long term care expenses.

However, Medicare (Part A) only pays for care in a long term care hospital, Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility under certain conditions for a limited time or through Medicare-certified home health services like intermitted skilled nursing care or hospice care. It will never pay for in-home custodial care, nursing home, continuing care retirement community, or assisted living facility.

Suppose your parent has dementia or Alzheimer’s and is fully mobile but cannot be left alone? Long term care for your parent can range from $2,000 to more than $6,000 a month. These costs are paid out of retirement funds and can easily exceed the average person’s retirement budget.

Although rare, there are organizations that provide affordable options like flat monthly fees for basic, mid-level and advance wellness packages to fit different budgets.

In some families, a family member becomes the caregiver, usually a spouse or a child. Even when family members step up to become the caregivers, respite or additional help is also frequently required. For those who plan ahead, purchasing long term care insurance is a great way to manage these costs while being able to remain in one’s home. Another option is designating a family member to be the care giver.

Consider what happens when your parent cannot afford the cost of care or does not have a family member to provide care. The only option is nursing home or home health care covered by Medicaid.

To qualify, your parent’s monthly income cannot exceed 300% of the SSI amount for an individual, or $2,205 per month for 2017 and Medicare will require any assets to be used to pay for care, unless the assets were transferred or liquidated 5 years prior to applying for Medicaid.

A popular strategy to deal with the 5-year “look back period” is to transfer the deed to the home to a child. This may solve the Medicare problem, but it has drawbacks. In most cases, the child will pay higher taxes if he or she later sells the property.

Be proactive in 2018. Contact us via email or call me at (703) 712-8000 set up a consultation and take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family.