Estate Planning Costs

Estate Planning Costs for Blended Families With Kids in Georgia

A revocable trust for a blended family in Georgia usually costs $3,500 to $5,500. Georgia law does not protect a stepchild who is not named in your plan unless you legally adopted them. Most blended families need the higher $5,500 tier to name up to three family members by name.

By Melissa Breyer, Esq. 6 min read

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Blending two families is hard enough without wondering what the law does to your plan. A revocable trust for a blended family costs $3,500 to $5,500 at The Hive Law. Most blended families land closer to the higher number.

Other Georgia firms often list one starting price. They don’t tell you a blended family usually costs more. Your price mostly comes down to one thing: how many people you need to name.

A blended family’s estate plan cost comes down to how many people you need to name, and skipping this step has real consequences for your stepchildren.

What a Blended Family’s Estate Plan Costs in Georgia

The Hive Law’s starting trust, the Foundation tier, costs $3,500. It protects you and your spouse. It does not name your kids.

Most blended families need the Family tier instead, which costs $5,500. This tier lets you name up to three family members by name. That’s usually enough for one spouse’s kids plus the couple’s kids together. It also works for both sets of stepchildren in a smaller family.

Some families are bigger than that. If you have four or more kids between both of you, you may need the Portfolio tier at $8,500. A very large blended family may need the Legacy tier at $15,000. That tier covers a full trust for every named family member.

For the full cost breakdown across every family situation, see How Much Does Estate Planning Cost for a Family With Minor Children in Georgia.

Why Most Blended Families Need the Family Tier

A plan built for a first marriage usually protects two people: you and your spouse. A blended family almost always has more people to name. You may need to name your kids, your spouse’s kids, or both.

Naming a stepchild is not automatic. Georgia law treats a stepchild as a stranger to your estate. This is true unless you adopted them or named them in your plan. Those extra names are what push a blended family from the Foundation tier to the Family tier.

Compare all four trust package tiers side by side, or read how a revocable living trust actually works in Georgia.

What a Stepchild Inherits Without a Will or Trust

Georgia law decides who inherits your property if you die with no will or trust. This rule is called intestate succession under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-1. It only covers your spouse and your legal children. That means your biological children or children you formally adopted.

A stepchild you never adopted inherits nothing under this rule. It does not matter how long you raised them. It does not matter how close you were. The only way to give a stepchild a share is to name them in a will or trust.

If your spouse has kids from an earlier relationship, see Does Your Spouse Inherit Everything When You Die in Georgia If You Have Children From a Previous Marriage for the full picture.

How Georgia’s Year’s Support Law Can Complicate Your Plan

Georgia lets a surviving spouse ask the court for what’s called Year’s Support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3-1. This sets aside part of the estate for the spouse. It gets paid before other gifts in the will.

In a first marriage, this rarely causes a problem. In a blended family, it can. A Year’s Support request can shrink or delay what’s left for your kids from an earlier relationship, even if your will or trust promised them a set share.

A well-built trust plans for this ahead of time. It sets aside a share for your kids up front, instead of sending everything through your spouse first. See the full breakdown of Year’s Support and how a trust protects against it.

Why You Still Need a Will Even With a Trust

Say you have minor kids from an earlier relationship, and your current spouse is not their legal parent. Naming a guardian matters even more in this case. Georgia law is clear here: only a will can name a guardian for your minor child (O.C.G.A. § 29-2-4). A trust cannot do this.

Without a will naming a guardian, a judge picks who raises your child, using a list set by state law, not your own choice. This is true even if your spouse raised that child for years, as long as your spouse never adopted them.

See What It Costs If You Die Without a Guardian Named for Your Kids in Georgia for the real numbers behind a court-run guardianship.

That same will can create a separate issue if it was signed before your current marriage. Does My Old Will or Trust Still Work After I Remarry in Georgia covers how Georgia law can carve out an automatic share for a spouse the will never named.

What Can Push the Price Higher

A few things often add to the base price for a blended family.

  • Extra property. Adding one property to your trust costs $550. Adding more than one at the same time costs $1,100.
  • A business or rental LLC. Adding an LLC to your trust costs $1,250.
  • A prenup or postnup. If you have one, it needs to match your estate plan. We check both documents together during your Design Meeting. This is not a separate fee.
  • A child with a disability. If one of your kids has a disability and receives SSI or Medicaid, a standard trust can still cost them those benefits. A special needs trust is built to protect them instead. See what a special needs trust costs in Georgia for how that works.

What It Costs to Wait

Skip the plan, and your estate goes through Georgia probate. A simple estate takes 13 months on average and costs $14,700 on average in fees.

A business or complex estate takes 25 months and costs $29,700 on average.

  • Cost. A simple Georgia probate averages $14,700 in attorney and court fees.
  • Timeline. A simple estate takes about 13 months to close.
  • Control. Your family cannot reach most of the estate’s money until the court process ends, and stepchildren get nothing unless the will or trust names them.

That’s more than three times what a Family tier trust costs, with no promise your stepchildren get anything. Probate follows Georgia’s intestate succession rules, which cover only a spouse and legal children and leave stepchildren out unless a will or trust says otherwise.

How to Get Started

Ready to see what your family’s plan would actually cost? Here’s how it works.

Your first call is free, about 15 minutes, and happens by phone with Shawn. If you move forward, your next step is the Design Meeting with Shawn and Melissa, which is credited toward your plan.

$0 What a Stepchild Inherits in Georgia Without Being Named This is what your stepchild gets under Georgia law if you don't name them in a will or trust.
13 Months Average Georgia Probate Timeline If You Wait That's how long your family could be tied up in court before anyone gets anything.
3 Kids Named by Name in One Trust Package That's how many family members the standard blended-family trust tier covers by name.

How It Works

1

A 15-Minute Call With Shawn

Tell us what is going on with your family. Shawn walks you through your options and what each one costs. Free.

2

The Design Meeting With Shawn and Melissa

In a 60-minute meeting, Shawn and Melissa review your assets, your family, and your goals together and confirm your price. This meeting is credited toward your plan if you move forward.

3

Review Every Document With Melissa

Before you sign, Melissa walks through every document with you in plain language. No legal jargon. No confusion about what you are signing.

4

Sign at Home

You sign at home, in front of a notary and witnesses you line up. Your signing instructions tell you who needs to be there. After you sign, you get a written checklist of what to do next.

Melissa Breyer

Melissa Breyer

Georgia Estate Planning Attorney

Melissa Breyer is a Georgia estate planning attorney who works exclusively on trust-based estate planning and LLC formation. She personally designs and drafts every plan at The Hive Law after the initial call. Every plan is built from scratch for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.

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After my father passed away, my mother had to rely on my father's employer to navigate the estate. It was a disaster. After this experience, I knew I needed a plan. I turned to The Hive Law to set up a trust. I no longer have to worry about my wife and children going through a difficult process if something happens to me. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

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We highly recommend Hive Law. They were extremely patient and responsive, answering our many rounds of questions regarding trusts and estate planning. Shawn consistently responded the same day we sent our questions, even while his family was on vacation, which we greatly appreciated. Shawn was also always available to discuss matters by phone whenever we needed additional clarification on the options we were considering. Both are very knowledgeable in estate planning, and we would confidently recommend Hive Law to friends and family.

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The Hive Law made the entire estate planning and trust process easy to understand and stress-free. Melissa and Shawn walked us through every step and answered all of our questions. We feel confident that our family is protected. Highly recommend!

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My mom chose The Hive firm to help with estate planning and developing a trust to protect her assets. I sat in on her meeting with Melissa, and Melissa did a great job of simplifying complex legalese into easily understood concepts. Shawn was very quick to get us our documents and all steps in the process were clear and easy. They make a great team and we are thankful for their help!

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I used The Hive Law to help me create a trust for my family. The process was straightforward and Melissa and Shawn made sure I understood each step. They were responsive to all of my questions. I feel much more confident about my family's future now. Highly recommend!

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Working with Shawn and Melissa at The Hive Law has been an excellent experience. They were one of three firms we contacted, but she made the strongest impression during our initial call. They asked great questions to understand our situation and clearly explained what we needed to put in place. We initially had some reservations about their fully virtual approach, but those concerns were quickly put to rest. After the first two calls, it was clear how easy they are to work with and how well connected we felt. Communication has been clear, organized, and reassuring throughout the process. Shawn and Melissa are professional, approachable, and thorough. We feel confident we're in good hands and highly recommend The Hive Law for estate planning.

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The Hive Law Firm, and specifically Melissa, has been wonderful to work with during our estate planning process. She is knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. She answered all of our questions and made the process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

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Shawn and Melissa were amazing to work with! My partner and I recently bought a house and wanted to get important things like wills, healthcare directives, etc. set up. They were incredible at answering all our questions and working with us to make sure we felt confident in all of the legal aspects. Having tried to do this online before with one of the DIY tools, it was just an amazing experience to get to talk through what we wanted with a knowledgeable human and have them take care of the details.

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Hive Law was awesome to work with! Melissa and Shawn explained everything, kept things stress-free, and were always quick to respond to my questions. They made the whole process simple and smooth from start to finish. Highly recommend if you want a team that's knowledgeable but also easy to work with.

Ryan Rollins Google Review

I lost my father in February of this year without any estate planning in place. The process of dealing with the probate court has been overwhelming and expensive. After this experience, I contacted The Hive Law to set up a trust so my children never have to go through what I've been through. Melissa and Shawn were compassionate, knowledgeable, and made the entire process simple. I highly recommend The Hive Law!

Rachel Shannon Google Review

I used to know the bare minimum about probate and trust. I first encountered Shawn Breyer on Facebook. He was offering a webinar that I watched. That gave me a better understanding of probate versus trust. I was impressed enough to have him and his wife represent me. I had my initial one on one interview with Melissa Breyer, it went smoothly and she made everything clear. We are now proceeding with getting a revocable trust in place.

Jer Udvadia Google Review

The Hive Law has been amazing throughout the process of setting up our trust. Every detail is considered and no stone is left unturned. They have been easy and enjoyable to work with. I would absolutely recommend them! Don't let your estate be turned over to Probate!!

Christy Evans Google Review

The Hive Law helped us set up a revocable trust. Their webinar is great for answering any questions you may have, to clarify and avoid probate. Get in touch with them right away, you won't be disappointed.

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Melissa was great! She gave me an honest review of my future plans that I already have in place. Turns out, I already had my ducks in a row!!! She was a pleasure to talk with!!

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For several years now I have been thinking about having a will drawn up, but continued to procrastinate until an older sibling had a medical situation occur which none of the family was prepared for. This was the determining factor for me to get it done. We never know when an emergency medical situation could arise and I didn't want my other siblings to be scrambling around trying to figure things out in the event I couldn't make any decisions for myself, or God forbid I pass away. My attorney (Melissa), was very funny and made the whole experience quite entertaining. She listened to what I wanted and explained the type of plan I needed. Thanks Melissa & Shawn for making the process an enjoyable experience.

Rena Solomon Google Review

The Hive Law Firm did an excellent job helping my mother-in-law with her estate plan. The process felt overwhelming at first, but their team walked us through every step with compassion and professionalism. They listened to our concerns, explained things in simple terms, and made sure our mother's wishes were honored. We're very grateful for their guidance.

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The Hive Law firm did an outstanding job helping my family members with their estate planning. They made the process clear, smooth and stress free. Truly professional and caring team, highly recommend!

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The whole process of creating a family trust felt simple, clear, and stress-free. We really appreciated how patient, helpful, and easy to communicate with the team was throughout everything. Shawn and Melissa gave us great guidance and helped us feel confident every step of the way. We're grateful for their support and would definitely recommend them.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A trust does not automatically cover life insurance or retirement accounts. Life insurance and retirement accounts pass to whoever you named on the account’s beneficiary form, even if your trust says something different. If you want a stepchild or biological child to receive part of one, you need to update that beneficiary form separately. We review these forms during your Design Meeting, the paid planning session where we design your plan, so they match your plan.

A blended family’s trust package includes more than just the trust. Every Hive Law trust package includes a financial power of attorney and a healthcare directive along with the trust. The Family tier also adds an individual power of attorney, healthcare directive, and a will for each of the up to three family members you name. This decides who can make medical and financial decisions for you, not just who inherits.

A trust for a blended family in Georgia usually costs $3,500 to $5,500. The price depends on how many people you need to name. Most blended families choose the higher tier. It lets you name up to three family members by name.

Stepchildren do not automatically inherit anything in Georgia. This is true unless you legally adopted them. Georgia’s intestacy law only covers a spouse and legal children. A stepchild needs to be named in a will or trust to get a share.

A prenup usually covers what happens in a divorce, not what happens when you die. Your estate plan is a separate document. The two need to be reviewed together, so they don’t contradict each other.

Adding stepchildren to a will names them as heirs. But a will alone still sends your estate through probate. Georgia probate averages 13 months and $14,700. A trust lets your stepchildren get their share without that court process.

A funded trust can protect your kids’ share even if your spouse remarries after you die. The assets are already set aside under the trust’s terms. A will alone does not offer this same protection.

Most blended families use one shared trust. Each spouse’s kids are named separately inside it. This is more common than setting up two separate trusts. The Family tier trust supports naming up to three family members this way.

Georgia’s Year’s Support law lets a surviving spouse ask the court for a set amount of the estate. This gets paid before other gifts in the will. In a blended family, this can shrink what’s left for kids from an earlier relationship, if the plan doesn’t account for it ahead of time.

Most blended family estate plans are ready within a few weeks of the Design Meeting, the paid planning session where we finalize your plan. We review your family and assets there and give you an exact price. The trust takes effect once it’s signed and your assets are moved into it.

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You’ve been meaning to do this for a while now. That’s normal. Most families wait until something happens, then wish they hadn’t.

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