Do we still need estate documents if we're legally married in DC?

Yes. Marriage covers a lot of default questions — but not who inherits from a trust you never set up, who makes healthcare decisions for you when you're unconscious, who serves as guardian for your kids, or how your non-biological children are recognized in a state that isn't DC. Marriage is a floor, not a plan.

Aequitas isn't a law firm — how does the estate work actually get done?

We coordinate with your existing estate attorney or introduce you to LGBTQ+-competent attorneys we've worked with, then integrate the documents into the rest of your financial plan (titling, beneficiary designations, trust funding, tax coordination). You end up with one plan, not four disconnected specialists.

Do I need a trust or is a will enough?

It depends on the assets, the state, and whether protecting a partner or non-biological parent quickly matters. For most LGBTQ+ households with real assets, a revocable trust plus pour-over will is worth the modest extra cost — probate is public, slow, and defaults to the state's rules rather than your intent.

LGBTQ+ couple in DC reviewing lgbtq+ estate planning decisions

LGBTQ+ Estate Planning · DC

LGBTQ+ estate planning for DC households

DC has its own estate tax with a ~$4.53M exemption (well below federal) and no portability, which quietly catches successful DC households — federal employees with decades of TSP, biglaw partners, K Street principals — faster than expected. Trust structure has to work around DC estate tax specifically, and cross-border coordination with Maryland (also with its own estate + inheritance tax) or Virginia (no state estate tax) matters when spouses live and work across the DMV.

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Why this practice exists

Why estate planning matters more for LGBTQ+ households in DC

Aequitas is fee-only, fiduciary, and virtual-first — so a DC household gets the same senior planner and the same integrated plan regardless of where in the metro they live. The plan is built once, and everything (tax, cash flow, estate, investing) is coordinated inside it, not by handing you off to three separate specialists.

Most generic advisors in DC treat lgbtq+ estate planning as an afterthought — a form to fill out once the "real" plan is done. That's backwards for LGBTQ+ households, where the local tax and legal picture is often the biggest single lever in the plan.

LGBTQ+ Estate Planning isn't a side specialty here. It's part of the practice, alongside the DC city plan it rolls up into.

What we coordinate on estate work in DC

Trust structure that respects chosen family

Revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, and beneficiary designations that put the people you actually chose ahead of the biological family your state's default rules would pick.

Healthcare directives that travel

HIPAA authorizations, healthcare powers of attorney, and advance directives drafted to hold up in less-protective states — because you don't stop being partnered when you cross a state line.

Beneficiary audits across every account

401(k), IRA, HSA, life insurance, and brokerage TOD beneficiaries — audited and updated so nothing quietly reverts to a parent, ex-spouse, or default state rule.

Parental-rights documents for non-bio parents

Second-parent adoption follow-through, guardianship nominations, and standby-guardian designations so a non-biological parent's rights don't depend on which state you happen to be in.

Same-sex partners planning together in DC

Related planning pages

LGBTQ+ financial advisor in Washington DC
The city-wide overview: how Aequitas works with DC LGBTQ+ households across everything — cash flow, tax, investing, and estate.
Surrogacy Financial Planning in DC
The DC sibling page for surrogacy financial planning — same city context, different specialty.
Same-Sex Couples Financial Planning in DC
The DC sibling page for same-sex couples financial planning — same city context, different specialty.
LGBTQ+ estate planning (nationwide)
Wills, trusts, healthcare directives, and beneficiary audits for LGBTQ+ households across the US.
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FAQ

LGBTQ+ Estate Planning FAQs — DC

About the advisor

Aequitas Financial was founded by Taylor Bell, a fee-only fiduciary planner. LGBTQ+ planning isn't a side specialty here — it's the practice.

Ready to get started?

On a free intro call we'll walk through where you are, what you're trying to figure out, and whether an engagement makes sense — no pressure.

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