Inheritance Wars: 90% of Contested Probate Cases Pit Surviving Spouses Against Stepchildren—How to Protect Your Assets

Adult children help an elderly mother and tell her how to make a will while sitting at home in the kitchen during Christmas. Nine in ten families find that existing wills pin stepchildren against the surviving spouse. BearFotos/Shutterstock

Blended families are now one of the fastest-growing sources of probate conflict in America, and many people do not realize how vulnerable their estate is until after someone dies. Estate planners and probate attorneys say disputes between surviving spouses and adult stepchildren are becoming more common as second marriages, rising home values, and unclear wills collide. Research from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners found that conflicts between children or stepchildren and surviving parents or stepparents were the single most common source of inheritance disputes in blended families. In many cases, the fight is not really about greed alone—it is about fear, fairness, and emotional attachment to family assets. If you want to protect your loved ones and prevent inheritance wars, proactive estate planning is no longer optional.

Blended Families Often Have Competing Expectations