A blended family restructure that protected everyone fairly

The problem

A couple in their second marriage came to us with a trust drafted years earlier that left everything to the survivor outright. Both had children from prior marriages, and both wanted to provide for the survivor without cutting their own kids out.

The existing plan created a meaningful risk that whichever spouse died first would leave their children dependent on the goodwill of the surviving step-parent. That is not a plan. That is a hope.

What we did

We restructured the plan around a QTIP trust at the first death. The surviving spouse receives income and access to the trust for the rest of their life, but the remainder at the second death is locked in for the deceased spouse's children.

We coordinated the home, retirement accounts, and life insurance so everything lined up with the new structure.

The result

Both spouses are taken care of for life, neither side's children can be accidentally disinherited, and the plan is specific enough that a future conflict is far less likely.