Jeff and Angela were both widowed before meeting each other. They had been married eight years. Jeff had two adult sons. Angela had a teenage daughter.
They loved their blended family, but they told me something I hear often:
“We want to take care of each other, but we also want to make sure our kids are protected.”
Without an estate plan, the law in their state would have created a probate storm:
- If Jeff died first, Angela would inherit more than he intended.
- Jeff’s sons could challenge the estate.
- Angela’s daughter could lose access to her mother’s assets.
- Children could be unintentionally disinherited depending on who passed first.
- Probate would drag everyone into conflict and confusion.
Jeff whispered, “I do not want our kids fighting over this.”
THE PLAN
We designed a blended-family-specific plan:
- A Joint Revocable Living Trust with individualized instructions
- Clear provisions for:
- Surviving spouse support
- Separate property
- Equal or tailored inheritances
- Beneficiary alignment across all accounts
- TOD/POD designations to the trust
- A pour-over will
- Healthcare directives ensuring each spouse had authority
- Successor trustees from each side of the family to eliminate conflict
THE OUTCOME
They walked out relieved knowing:
- Each spouse is protected
- Each child is protected
- No one is disinherited
- No probate
- No courtroom drama
Angela said,
“You gave us peace of mind and kept our family together.”