When you are married with children, estate planning seems pretty straightforward.

You want your spouse making decisions for you if you are incapacitated, and you want to make sure your assets go to your spouse when you die, and then to your children after your spouse is gone.

Seems simple, right?

If only it was our probate courts wouldn’t be clogged with the impact of the complexity of money and family. And, there wouldn’t be $58 billion (with a b) of assets in the State Departments of Unclaimed Property across the United States.

There are a myriad of questions that need to be answered to ensure your family stays out of court, and out of conflict, in the event of your incapacity or death. And, some tactical specifics that need to happen to ensure your assets don’t end up lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property because your family overlooks something when you can’t be there to guide them.

And, if you are in a blended family with children from a prior marriage, it’s an almost guarantee the people you love will end up in conflict, if you don’t plan ahead.