Blended families are becoming more and more popular in the United States. This has a lot to do with the fact that half of all marriages end in divorce, and many of these people get remarried. They both bring children from their first marriage and create a blended family moving forward.
This can be a wonderful thing, especially when the children are young and they get a new family structure to enjoy. But it can also increase the odds of an estate dispute when their parents pass away. It’s important to know what steps to take if this happens and why it may occur.
Reasons for these disputes
There are a few common reasons for these disputes, starting with the fact that the children may not see each other as equals. For instance, if a parent leaves an equal amount of assets to all of the children, hoping to avoid a dispute, the biological children may feel frustrated because they may think they deserved a larger share.
You can also run into some issues when the stepparent survives long after the biological parent has passed away. The children may be interested in getting their inheritance, but they will see a significant delay if assets that they wanted are simply transferred to the stepparent. They may feel that they deserve their inheritance at an earlier time or that the estate isn’t being divided fairly between the family members.
No matter the reason, it’s clear from the statistics that disputes are more common in these situations. It’s very important for all individuals who find themselves in this situation to know what legal options they have.
