Estate Planning for Blended Families & Navigating the Complexities

Estate planning ensures that your property passes exactly as you prefer upon your passing and also allows you to distribute your property while living through trusts and other instruments. Spouses with straightforward assets who wed and remain wed throughout their life may require just a simple will to direct the distribution of their property. For individuals who have complicated assets or have divorced and remarried, there is a far more complex estate planning challenge to navigate. 

Consulting with an experienced Florida estate planning attorney from Martin Law Firm can help to frame what will work best for your family and children and put together an estate planning package that respects your wishes and ensures they happen after your passing. 

Blended Families Have Complex Estate Planning Concerns 

When families blend and there are children and other heirs, the importance of carefully constructing your estate plan is underlined by the additional complexities you’ll encounter. Questions our blended family estate planning clients regularly as we include: 

• How do I determine what goes to my children from an earlier marriage and what goes to my youngest from my current marriage? 
• Do I have to establish child support and alimony arrangements for my ex-spouse in my estate plan to cover us should I pass before my children reach the age of majority? 
• Can I assign a guardian to assume my custody rights for my children from a prior marriage upon my passage? 
• What happens to the will I wrote with my ex-spouse when I remarry? 

Dictating how your property and other assets are divided amongst your present spouse, children from a prior marriage and minor children you might have at the time is achieved through a proactive and comprehensive estate plan. Reach out to the Martin Law Firm to consider will and trust options to accomplish your goals, and read on to learn more. 

The Risk of Disinheriting Children is Mitigated Through Proactive Planning 

Under Florida Statute Ch. 732, it is clarified that if you pass without a will, your property passes through the Florida intestacy statute. This means that without an estate plan including a will and potentially trusts, the courts decide how your property is distributed. When a portion of your property is not effectively disposed of or assigned in your will, it will pass to your heirs as determined by various codes in the statute. 

If you want to maintain control of where and how your property passes upon your death, it is essential to construct an estate plan. 

Consider Options on the Complex Estate Planning Demands of Your Blended Family with Martin Law Firm

To learn how the dedicated estate planning attorneys from Martin Law Firm who have worked with countless modern blended families can help with your concerns, give us a call at 239-323-9820, or visit our site to schedule a consultation.