When helping clients prepare Wills, it is common to receive these instructions ‘Everything goes to my spouse and then to the kids equally”. The surviving spouse often ends up with the jointly owned assets and superannuation too. When the surviving spouse passes away,...Read More
One of the various roles of an Executor is to make sure that all estate debts are paid. In particular, an Executor needs to make sure any tax liability of the deceased during their lifetime or of their estate is accounted for. Keeping records of everything that might...Read More
The preparation of your estate plan involves a number of matters, especially the payment of your superannuation death benefit. From 1 July 2017 a “Transfer Balance Cap” was introduced. In broad terms, the effect of the Cap is to limit the total amount of...Read More
I often write about the importance of having a valid Will. You might have been as surprised as I was to learn that Aretha Franklin, “the Queen of Soul”, died without a formal Will. By not making a formal Will, the famous singer sparked more than four years of bitter...Read More
I have written previously about the pitfalls of home-made Wills. Although it may sound like I’m trying to drum up business in recommending your Will be prepared by a solicitor, there is some support from Master Sanderson in a recent Supreme Court of Western Australia...Read More
