Estate Planning for Second Marriages in Washington State

Second marriages bring clarity in some areas of life — and complexity in others.

For many couples in Bellevue, Issaquah, and throughout King County, the question is not whether to create an estate plan. It is how to create one that honors both a current spouse and children from a prior relationship.

Washington law supplies default rules. But default rules rarely reflect blended family dynamics.

Why Second Marriages Require Intentional Planning

In a first marriage with shared children, planning often feels straightforward. Assets are typically intended to flow to the surviving spouse and then to the same children.

In a second marriage, those assumptions no longer hold.

One spouse may want to ensure that their children from a prior relationship ultimately inherit certain assets. The other may want long-term housing security. Both may want to avoid tension between families.

Without intentional planning, Washington’s intestacy statutes — or the structure of asset titling — will control.

And those outcomes may not match anyone’s expectations.

Community Property and Separate Property in Washington

Washington is a community property state. That means assets acquired during marriage are generally presumed to be jointly owned, regardless of whose name is on the account.

In a second marriage, that distinction matters.

Assets brought into the marriage may remain separate property if properly maintained. But over time, lines can blur. Funds are commingled. Property is refinanced. Improvements are made.

Without careful structure, it becomes difficult to determine what was intended for whom.

A coordinated estate plan helps preserve clarity.

Providing for a Spouse Without Disinheriting Children

One of the most common concerns in second marriages is this:

“How do I provide for my spouse without unintentionally disinheriting my children?”

A simple will leaving everything outright to a surviving spouse may feel generous and straightforward. But it also gives the surviving spouse full control over those assets — including the ability to redirect them elsewhere.

That may be entirely appropriate, or it may not.

Trust-based planning is often used in second marriages to balance competing goals. A properly structured trust can provide lifetime financial security for a surviving spouse while preserving the remaining assets for children from a prior relationship.

The structure matters. The details matter even more.

The Family Home and Long-Term Housing

In King County, real estate often represents a significant portion of net worth. For couples in second marriages, the family home can become the emotional center of planning decisions.

Should the surviving spouse have the right to remain in the home for life?
Should the property eventually pass to specific children?
Should sale proceeds be divided differently?

Without explicit planning, ownership structure and default inheritance rules may dictate the outcome.

Intentional planning allows you to choose it instead.

A Practical Perspective for Blended Families in the Eastside

Second marriages are not unusual in Bellevue, Sammamish, and Issaquah. Blended families are part of the fabric of this community.

Estate planning in this context is about alignment:

Aligning expectations between spouses.
Aligning documents with Washington law.
Aligning asset structure with long-term intentions.

When those pieces are coordinated, tension is reduced, ambiguity is minimized, and the people you care about are less likely to be placed in conflict later.

A clear structure does not eliminate every emotional difficulty, but it prevents avoidable legal ones.