Stepmother vs. Stepchild, Now Playing in a California Probate Court Near You

In fairy tales and Disney movies, a common theme is that the evil antagonist is a stepmother. Half of marriages today end in divorce, creating more stepmother to stepchild relationships than in the past – though the majority of them are nothing like Snow White’s nefarious stepmother. These increased numbers may also bring a rise in conflicts during the administration of a father’s/husband’s estate.

There are many methods for the parent to prevent this unfortunate friction. These include hiring a well-established and knowledgeable estate planner, placing control of trusts with a professional fiduciary, explaining your estate plan to your children, and considering a gift at time of death to your children rather than delaying until your spouse passes away.

See Jeffrey S. Galvin, Stepmother vs. Stepchild, Now Playing in a California Probate Court Near You, TrustonTrial.com, April 23, 2018.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.) for bringing this article to my attention.