Blended Families

 If you are in a second (or third or more) marriage, and you have children from a prior marriage, you must engage in estate planning that will keep the people you love out of conflict.

No matter how close or friendly you think your new spouse and your children are, there is simply an unavoidable, inherent conflict between them upon your death. If you don't plan, the State of Minnesota has a plan that assumes this conflict exists and it will impose conditions on them you may not want.

Having said that, this conflict can be mitigated and you can ensure that the people you love most — your new spouse and your children — will each be well-taken care of with the least room for potential issues possible.

You can even take actions to support their being on the same team with each other in a time of grief.

It does take planning though, and we are well-trained and highly skilled in planning for the needs of "blended families", which is the term of art in the legal profession for people who are in second or later marriages with children from a prior marriage.

If this describes you, contact us for a Legacy Planning Session so we can look together at everything you own, and everyone you love, and what would happen to all of it, when something happens to you. Then, you can get informed, educated, and empowered to make the right planning decisions for the people you love.