Estate Planning Strategies For Blended Families

By judy martel when it comes to estate planning for a blended family the concept of yours mine and ours can complicate the process to the point that family dynamics become permanently strained.

Estate planning strategies for blended families.

Here are a few estate planning strategies that can be used to ensure that your children will receive their inheritance when you are part of a blended family. Common pitfalls in estate planning for blended families 1 the traditional concept of the nuclear family i e mother father and one or more children of a single relationship has evolved over the years. It is estimated that more than half of u s. Estate planning for blended families second marriage and step children require special planning to ensure your spouse and your children are protected.

1 instead children are being raised in an increasingly diverse backdrop of household types and family dynamics. The most common estate planning solution is to put your spouse s inheritance in a trust for their lifetime use but then indicate that the remaining assets will pass to your children. With guidance from experienced counsel the various goals of each family can be met by crafting and implementing estate. Depending on a family s situation and needs an estate planning attorney can help select and execute one of the following strategies.

Here are some strategies that blended families can use. Estate planning for blended families is a form of asset protection. Setting up a trust. Apart from the day to day challenges blended families like the fictional brady s face additional hurdles when addressing their estate planning.

People with blended families should pro actively plan the distribution of their estate. It is important to consult an estate planning lawyer to ensure that your will accurately reflects your wishes. Married people commonly leave everything to each other in their wills. According to recent census data less than half of american children grow up in a traditional nuclear family.

The key to minimizing these issues is a well thought out estate plan. Successful blended family estate planning is a matter of setting and communicating goals learning the available legal strategies implement ing the chosen documents and setting appropriate expec tations for the client. Disputing an unfair estate.