BLENDED FAMILIES NEED ESTATE PLANS

If you have a blended family, it’s important that you have an estate planning attorney craft your estate plan rather than using a simple form Will to divide your assets based on percentages. Blended families are those that have children from multiple marriages and they have unique dynamics for which you should account in your estate plan. This will help avoid conflicts after you pass away.

When you leave a simple Will that bestows an inheritance on your natural children based on percentages, you leave open the possibility that the children will fight about who gets what specific assets. That’s bad enough. When you add step-children into the mix, it can get even worse. This could especially be a problem if your natural children and step-children did not grow up together. You may want to provide for your entire blended family and it is your right to do so. However, you should be careful to provide for them in a way that minimizes conflict.

The best way you can provide for your family, whether it’s blended or not, is to speak to an estate planning attorney. Every family is different and needs different things. An estate planning attorney can help you in making sure that you do what is right for your family.