Using a Traditional Estate Plan for a Blended Family
Your estate plan needs to be suitable for your family. Yet, as reflected in state intestacy laws, “default” estate planning has a clear bias towards traditional families. For example, estate plans for married couples, especially online “do-it-yourself-kits” often follow the “all to spouse” model at the death of first spouse. However, as more and more families are becoming more complicated, including children from prior relationships, separate assets and other differences, often make that kind of an estate plan a poor fit. By working with an experienced estate planning attorney, your plan can be drafted to fit the actual composition of your family.