{"id":18887,"date":"2026-03-04T15:19:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedailyrecord.com\/maryland-family-law\/?p=18887"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:20:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:20:36","slug":"blended-families-and-the-challenges-of-asset-distribution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailyrecord.com\/maryland-family-law\/2026\/03\/04\/blended-families-and-the-challenges-of-asset-distribution\/","title":{"rendered":"Blended families and the challenges of asset distribution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning in the 1970s, Americans began divorcing and remarrying<\/a> in greater numbers than ever before, expanding the definition of family.<\/p>\n

Now, trust and estate attorneys are starting to hear more often from members of those blended families unhappy about the distribution of assets after an elder\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\"Edward

Edward Parent is a partner at Silverman Thompson in Baltimore. (Submitted photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAs the baby boomers are starting to pass away, you\u2019re seeing more and more of these types of fights for a variety of different reasons,\u201d said Edward Parent, a partner at Silverman Thompson in Baltimore who specializes in fiduciary litigation. \u201cYou have a stepparent and perhaps siblings that just didn\u2019t have that family bond that you have growing up, and so it breeds a lot of resentment and mistrust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parent and other estate and trust attorneys emphasized that the No. 1 way to head off litigation is to plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing that a person can do is nothing, meaning no planning,\u201d Parent said. \u201cYou\u2019d be surprised how many people just go through their lives; they\u2019re very busy. (Estate planning is) just not something they\u2019re thinking about, and then, God forbid, something happens to them, and if they haven\u2019t properly planned, you could leave a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n

No will<\/h2>\n

Dying intestate, or without a will, means the state will parcel out \u201cprobate assets,\u201d or possessions held in the decedent\u2019s name alone. (Jointly held assets, such as houses or bank accounts, generally do not go through the probate process, nor do retirement accounts with a designated, living beneficiary.)<\/p>\n

\"David

David Diggs, of the Law Office of David V. Diggs in Millersville. (Submitted photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe state\u2019s going to determine what happens to their estate rather than what they want to happen to their estate,\u201d said David Diggs, of the Law Office of David V. Diggs in Millersville, adding that on occasion, he will summarize Maryland\u2019s estate and trust article to \u201cscare people into having wills.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: Top estate planning risks: Inattention and outdated plans<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If a decedent without a will leaves behind a spouse and any minor children, the surviving spouse receives 50% of the estate, and the children share the rest. In cases in which the decedent has adult children from a prior marriage, the surviving spouse is entitled to the first $100,000 of the estate, after which any remaining assets are divided between the spouse and the adult children.<\/p>\n

Avoiding litigation<\/h2>\n

A prenuptial agreement can head off disputes among survivors in blended families, said Laura Lynn Thomas, founder and principal at Legacy Legal Planning in Columbia and the chair of the Maryland State Bar Association\u2019s Estate & Trust Law Section Council.<\/p>\n

\"Lynn

Lynn Thomas, founder and principal at Legacy Legal Planning in Columbia and the chair of the MSBA\u2019s Estate & Trust Law Section Council. (Submitted photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe No. 1 thing to do to avoid the potential for any litigation after a death, if it\u2019s a second or third or fourth \u2013 or even a first \u2013 marriage, is to have a prenuptial agreement that clearly states what the rights are,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n

Thomas also highlighted the importance of reviewing beneficiary designations.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of assets are handled by beneficiary designation these days,\u201d she said, citing federal employees\u2019 savings plans, in which the default beneficiary is generally the surviving spouse.<\/p>\n

RELATED: DIY wills: Why some choose them and where they can go wrong<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat may not be your intention in a second marriage situation,\u201d she said. \u201cMake sure beneficiary designations are up to date.\u201d<\/p>\n

Determining who should be the personal representative, or executor, of an estate is also key to preventing issues down the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it going to be the surviving spouse; is it going to be one of the adult children? I think transparency and a clear discussion about that might help avoid bruised feelings later on,\u201d Diggs said.<\/p>\n

Above all, attorneys emphasized, it is crucial to inform family members about estate plans.<\/p>\n

Thomas said she advises clients to talk with their family about their plans \u2013 or, if that is too uncomfortable, to write them a letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get rid of the chance of litigation, but it does allow families some insight into why they made the designations they did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

RELATED: MD Trust Act enhances protections for revocable and irrevocable trusts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trusts and complex estates<\/h2>\n

For wealthy individuals with complex estates, Parent said he often recommends a trust.<\/p>\n

He gave the example of a decedent with a will who owned a house in Baltimore County and a beach house in Rehoboth. If the properties were not jointly titled, the executor of the will must open a primary probate case in Maryland, as well as a second, ancillary, probate case for the beach house in Delaware. Among its advantages, a trust allows an estate to bypass probate while also providing privacy, as the transfer of property through a trust does not enter the public record.<\/p>\n

Parent said: \u201cSometimes, a trust makes sense if there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all circumstances, and that\u2019s why, again, I always tell people: Go do your research and find a good estate-planning attorney \u2013 there are excellent ones around here \u2013 who can walk you through all those options.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning in the 1970s, Americans began divorcing and remarrying in greater numbers than ever before, expanding the definition of family. Now, trust and estate attorneys are starting to hear more often from members of those blended families unhappy about the distribution of assets after an elder\u2019s death. \u201cAs the baby boomers are starting to pass …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12792,"featured_media":18888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52569,2536,71496],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured","category-cover-stories","subscriber_only"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBlended families and the challenges of asset distribution - Maryland Family Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thedailyrecord.com\/maryland-family-law\/2026\/03\/04\/blended-families-and-the-challenges-of-asset-distribution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blended families and the challenges of asset distribution - Maryland Family Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beginning in the 1970s, Americans began divorcing and remarrying in greater numbers than ever before, expanding the definition of family. 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