Even though a blended family can bring so much happiness into the home, it can be difficult to plan for the safety of everyone involved. Having a well-thought-out estate plan is a great way for blended families to ensure the safety of all of their children, both biological and adopted. Inheritances will need to be planned for, along with guardians being named and an executor selected. 

1. How to Handle a Blended Family?

By working together to draft wills, parents can determine how they want their wealth to be distributed among their offspring. The standard provision in a will for married couples is that they leave everything to one another. Upon the second parent’s passing, the children become sole beneficiaries of the estate. Blended families may find this situation particularly challenging.

There is no universal rulebook for how to handle blended families. Perhaps your wife’s father is wealthy and can provide for the kids in the event that something happens to her. 

Children from this union, on the other hand, can count on nothing but what you and your wife have amassed, so it makes sense to leave them a sizable inheritance.

2. How to write a will?

If you want to make sure that the things that are most important to you, like family heirlooms and the home you grew up in, go to your children after your death, a well-written will is essential. It can be confusing to sort out who exactly is meant by “my children” in a will that specifies they are to receive everything because there are both biological and adopted children listed. Consider your family’s unique situation in its entirety when writing your will.

3. Guardians

By naming them in your will, you can designate a guardian to take care of your minor children if you pass away before they reach adulthood. Obtaining custody of your child is automatic if there is an additional legal parent who is still alive. It is crucial that you include specific information about any unusual situations involving abuse and neglect in your will.

4. Intestate

The term “intestate” is used to describe a circumstance in which a person has passed away without leaving a will. The state’s intestacy statutes specify who receives what when someone dies intestate. These statutes set forth a uniform method for splitting assets between a surviving spouse and their legal offspring. Your stepchildren are not your biological children and have no legal right to inherit from you unless and until they are formally adopted. 

If you died without a will, your family would receive nothing. A will is necessary if you and your spouse want your stepchildren to inherit anything.