For Nevada residents, estate planning comes in many degrees of complexities. For some, it’s as easy as leaving everything to their spouse and/or children. But others have more factors to consider, just as being in a blended family. This means you and/or your spouse has children from previous families that must be considered for a will. While these situations may seem straightforward, parties like ex-spouses, stepchildren and children from your current marriage can make the process extremely difficult.
Nevada follows intestacy laws, meaning that if you do not leave a written will, your assets are divided between your current spouse and your children, both biological and stepchildren. For some, this sounds like a good plan. But you may want to leave more or less to different heirs, or may want to include those outside your immediate family. You may also want to leave some of your property to your former spouse or their family, especially if you are a widow or widower.
You could also avoid issues like probate or estate by leaving your entire estate to your current spouse and trusting them to distribute it evenly to your children. Other estate planning tools like trusts could also be highly beneficial for blended families. Because these are highly complex situations, it may be beneficial for those who do not have “traditional” families to seek counsel from an estate planning law attorney. They can go through your options with you and help you figure out what solution is best for you.