Conversations about estate planning
The role of a practitioner is to identify and address issues in the affairs of a client, but the conversation about estate planning is one that many put off until too late. How does the conversation start? Understanding your client and how they are operating is a key starting point. In looking at their business […]
Basics of a power of attorney
What is a power of attorney? A power of attorney is a legal document that nominates and gives authority to another person to make personal/financial decisions on your behalf. Personal decisions such as your health care and welfare can be made by your Power of Attorney, as well as financial decisions such as the paying […]
Dying without a will (Victoria)
What happens if I die without a will in Victoria? If a person dies in Victoria without a valid will, they are said to have died intestate. This can cause a range of issues as you have no control over who benefits from your estate, no control over who administers your estate and disputes can […]
Dying without a will (QLD)
What happens if I die without a will in Queensland? In Queensland, if you pass away without a will in place, you are considered to have died intestate. Therefore, the next of kin (usually a spouse or de facto partner) is given the role of administering the deceased’s estate. This cannot occur until after the […]
Dying without a will (NSW)
What happens if I die without a will in New South Wales? If you die in New South Wales without a will, you are considered to have died intestate. Usually, a grant of Letters of Administration will then be applied for, and your estate will be passed on to eligible relatives as per the Succession […]
Basics of shareholder agreements
You are not legally required to have a shareholder’s agreement, but the chances of you encountering problems and disputes are very high if you don’t have one in place. Why do I need a shareholders agreement? A shareholder’s agreement is a binding contract that is negotiated by the shareholders of a company which controls their […]
Working with our estate planning solutions
Finding a commercial team to assist you in developing an estate planning offering can be a minefield. Ensuring that the tax outcomes are maximised to the detriment of the succession plan or alternative tax is not considered to be a core component of the proposal put forward. We are different. Working closely with our aligned […]
Succession planning for business
For many business owners, the objective is to pass a profitable and successful business through to the next generation, but this is not something that simply happens and the planning you undertake for a business sale should be similar to transferring a business within the family group. If you are a business owner, you may […]
Estate Planning Through Superannuation
An old presentation that has relevance today, a presentation given to the Taxation Institute by Craig Dangar. This presentation covers: taxation treatment of superannuation upon death beyond superannuation – what next? strategies available death benefit nominations and rules how iron-clad are they? what needs to be done to set one up?
Superannuation and death – recent decision
Recent Case You may have seen in the news last year that an Australian father who was in the Defence Force unexpectedly passed away, leaving behind two young daughters. The father had a relatively new girlfriend at the time of his death and signed a statutory declaration in 2014 stating that his girlfriend was his […]