Blended families form when one or both partners bring children from a prior relationship into a new marriage or long-term partnership. These families include stepchildren, stepparents, half-siblings, and many relationships that the law does not balance on its own. Without clear and careful estate planning, it is easy for one set of children to be left out or even disinherited.
Most spouses in second marriages own their home as joint tenants or tenants by the entirety. In Illinois, both forms include a right of survivorship under 765 ILCS 1005/1c, which means the surviving spouse becomes the full owner at the first spouse’s death. But both forms still create the same blended-family problem – they can erase a child’s inheritance instantly.
Our experienced Morris, IL estate planning attorney at Gateville Law Firm can help you structure your estate plan so that everyone you want to care for is protected and difficult disputes over property and inheritance are not part of the picture once you pass away.