Estate planning isn’t always easy, and it can be even more challenging when it involves a blended family. Fair treatment matters and communication is highly important. While The Brady Bunch dealt with a lot of issues surrounding step-families, it didn’t really talk about what might happen when one of the parents had died. Still, the show taught viewers plenty of important lessons about love, care, and compassion, which all matter when planning an estate the right way.

All too often, stepchildren are pushed aside in favor of biological children, and the fair and equitable treatment the other parent hopes for just isn’t there. Of course, this also depends on how long the blended family has been together and the ages of the children. For parents who’ve been together for decades, and who blended their family when their children were small, estate planning may be easier than it would be for a family that hasn’t been together as long.

If you’re part of a blended family like The Brady Bunch, talking with your spouse about estate planning is important. You want to make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to what you’ll leave behind for others. It can be natural to want to protect your biological children, but not offering equal opportunities and treatment can cause serious problems in your partnership.

The goal is to protect the surviving spouse but also ensure that anything going to the children can’t be sold, taken, or otherwise misused. Sometimes, setting up Trusts is the best way to do that. If you have a neutral party as the trustee, there’s no risk of the surviving spouse mishandling any funds. It’s easy to say that your spouse would never do that, but in the end, the ultimate goal of estate planning is to make sure that everything you’re leaving for others gets to the right people.

Regular reviews of estate plans, along with necessary updates, can make that much easier and also help increase your peace of mind. Both you and your spouse want to feel confident that your loved ones are protected.

Ready to start the conversation and create your estate plan? To learn more about these and other tips for blended families, contact us today!