Estate Planning for Blended Families
How to use estate planning to protect your spouse or partner and children from different relationships.
Peace of Mind for Your Blended Family
A "Blended Family" includes married couples or domestic partners with children from different relationships.
Estate planning for a blended family is designed to prevent conflicts among family members and to protect the children of both spouses or partners.
Review two types of estate plans that are specifically designed for blended families below
Common Concerns & How We Solve Them
Effective planning requires honest answers to difficult questions. We are here to help you navigate them.
"If I die first, will my spouse cut my kids out?"
No. We design your plan specifically to prevent this. By creating separate trust shares for each spouse, we ensure that your specific assets are preserved for your own children, regardless of who passes away first.
"What if my spouse remarries after I'm gone?"
Your children's inheritance will remain secure. Because your portion of the estate is locked into a separate trust upon your death, a future marriage by your surviving spouse cannot alter the funds you’ve set aside for your children.
"We treat all kids equal, but what if we divorce?"
Your plan automatically adjusts to protect you. Under Michigan law, divorce typically revokes any inheritance left to a former spouse. Furthermore, step-children also lose their claim to your estate immediately upon divorce unless you specifically rewrite them back in..
"I want my spouse to stay in our house, but I want my kids to inherit the equity."
We can solve this with a 'Life Estate Trust.' This allows your spouse to live in the home for their lifetime (or a set period of your choosing), but ensures that the property title, and its value, automatically transfers to your children once that period ends.
The Solutions
Basic Estate Plan
for Blended Families
$2,450 for 2 persons
What Is It?
Includes everything in the Basic Estate Plan for Children, plus an additional trust to manage property separately for the children of each parent in a blended family.
What's Included?
● Consultation to customize your plan
● Last will & testament
● A separate revocable trust for the children of each spouse
● All instructions and forms needed by the trustee to administer each trust
● Power of attorney
● Healthcare directive
● Appointment of guardian
● Appointment of funeral representative
● Estate planning roadmap
● Heavy duty binder for original documents and flash drive for copies
Who's It Designed For?
Parents of blended families who:
● Have children from previous relationships
● Are comfortable with probate later
● Desire to set aside assets (e.g. life insurance or retirement accounts) solely for their children
● Need a complete estate plan for children at a lower cost than our Living Trust Plan for Blended Families
Why You'll Love It
● Lowest cost complete estate plan to manage assets for young children of each parent in a blended family
● Ensures that children will be financially stable without meddling by a former spouse or partner
● Completely customized documents to your specifications
● Designate separate trustees to manage property for children of each parent until a specified age
● Designate separate guardians to care for children of each parent until adulthood
● Feel confident that your assets will be handled for children as you direct
● Includes instructions and forms to guide trustees to handle trust property
Living Trust Plan
for Blended Families
$3,750 for 2 persons
What Is It?
Includes everything in the Living Trust Plan, plus two (2) additional trusts to manage property separately for the children of each parent in a blended family.
What's Included?
● Consultation to customize your plan
● Joint revocable trust for both parents
● Separate revocable trusts for each parent's children
● Certificate of trust for each trust
● Authorization to disclose medical information
● Warranty deed to fund trust
● Assignment of personal property to trust
● Agreement to transfer business assets to trust
● Trust funding instructions
● All documents needed by the trustee to administer each trust (trustee instructions, acceptance of trust, certificate of trust, notice to beneficiaries, and notice to creditors)
● Pour-over will
● Power of attorney
● Healthcare directive
● Appointment of guardian
● Appointment of funeral representative
● Estate planning roadmap
● Heavy duty binder for original documents and flash drive for copies
Who's It Designed For?
Designed for parents of blended families who:
● Desire to avoid probate
● Have children from previous relationships
● Desire to set aside and manage assets solely for their own children
● Need a complete estate plan to manage property for children
Why You'll Love It
● Comprehensive estate plan to manage and distribute separate trust assets to any number of beneficiaries without probate
● Ensures that children will be financially stable without meddling by a former spouse or partner
● Completely customized documents to your specifications
● Provides maximum control over distribution and administration of trust assets for blended families
● Designate separate trustees to handle estate administration for children of each parent
● Designate separate guardians to care for children of each parent
● Feel confident that your assets will be distributed as you direct
● Includes instructions and forms to guide trustees to handle trust property without an attorney