Estate Planning When You Have a Stepfamily

When a second marriage joins two families, it should be a joyous occasion. Too often it also creates inheritance disputes between stepparents and children from a prior marriage. A carefully drafted plan is how you avoid that fight.

The right structure — often a QTIP trust or lifetime-benefit trust — protects a surviving spouse without disinheriting the children who came first. Coordinated beneficiary designations do the rest.

Have a question about how this applies to your family in Maryland? Schedule an introductory call with Johnson Law — flat fees, no pressure, straight answers.