Married with Children

When you are married with children, estate planning is usually pretty straightforward and probably the last thing on your mind. You want your spouse making decisions for you if you are incapacitated, and you want to make sure your assets go to your spouse when you die, and then to your children after your spouse is gone.

Seems simple, right?

Unfortunately, it is not.  If it was that simple our probate courts wouldn’t be clogged with the impact of the complexity of money and family. And, there wouldn’t be $58 Billion (with a B) of assets in the State Departments of Unclaimed Property across the United States.

There are a myriad of questions that need to be answered to ensure your family stays out of court, and out of conflict, in the event of your incapacity or death. And, some tactical specifics that need to happen to ensure your assets don’t end up lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property because your family overlooks something when you can’t be there to guide them.

Plus, if you are in a marriage situation with children from a prior marriage (we call this a “blended family”), it’s highly likely (some would even say it’s an almost guarantee) that the people you love will end up in conflict if you don’t plan ahead.

Most of all, your wealth isn’t measured just by the dollars in your bank account, but by the well-being of the people you love. You care enough to get your estate planning handled so your family can stay out of court and out of conflict.