Yours, Mine and Ours: How Life & Legacy Planning Can Strengthen Blended Families

Blended families, households that include a stepparent, step-sibling, or half-sibling, are more common than ever. In fact, reports show that one in three Americans is a member of a blended family.

If you have or are part of a blended family, it’s important to understand how life and legacy planning can keep your family out of conflict and in love, both during life, in the event of incapacity, and when one or more of the parents dies.

Let’s begin with an understanding of the conflicts that may arise within a blended family.

Proactively Design a Plan to Avoid Conflict

If you have children from a prior marriage and you become incapacitated or die, leaving everything to your new spouse or partner, there is almost certain to be some conflict (whether spoken or not) between your children and new spouse. Your children may feel unloved, forgotten, or resentful.

You may believe you can avoid this situation by leaving everything to your new spouse or partner, and then on their death, to your children. But this too could establish a scenario where your children feel the need to monitor your partner’s use of your assets during his or her life. And that may not be what you want.

Conversely, you may have a partner or spouse who is not provided for in your life and legacy plan - though you would want this person to inherit some or all of your assets. But, as things stand now, your entire estate may go to your children from a prior marriage. This could create a reality where your current partner is removed from the house you share if something happens to you before your plan is updated.

You can avoid all of this by designing and implementing a plan that has been reviewed and discussed with your children and new spouse or partner. We facilitate this as part of the planning process for all blended families.

If you’re ready to design a thoughtful life and legacy plan for your blended family, please contact us today. Similarly, if you are the child of a parent who has remarried or re-partnered, you may want to bring these issues to your parent’s attention, and have them give us a call. During a comprehensive Life & Legacy Planning Session, we will help you plan for the needs of your unique family and ensure everything and everyone you love is protected and provided for as you wish.

Please schedule a call if you have any questions. We’d be honored to support your family in this way.

This article is a service of Cedar Counsel. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love.