Click through to find out some answers to some of our Frequently asked Questions, or contact us today for a non-obligatory discussion about your situation and how we could help.
Estate Planning Services
Protect Your Legacy, Secure Your Family’s Future
Estate planning is the greatest gift you can give your family, the peace of mind that comes from knowing your wishes will be respected and your loved ones will be financially protected.
For estate planning purposes, our approach is to minimise tax liabilities, ensure the right transfer of assets and avoid unintended consequences that can arise from poor planning.
Our comprehensive estate planning services help you create a framework that preserves your wealth, minimises tax and reflects your values and intentions.
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Why Estate Planning Matters
Estate planning goes beyond just writing a will. It’s about creating a strategy that protects your family from unnecessary complications, reduces taxes and ensures your hard-earned assets are distributed according to your wishes. Without a valid will, your estate will be distributed according to state laws, a situation called dying intestate, which can lead to unintended outcomes. Dying intestate often results in legal and tax consequences for your beneficiaries, as state laws determine how your assets are divided. Without proper planning, your family may face lengthy legal processes, significant tax implications and difficult decisions during an already emotional time.
Our Comprehensive Estate Planning Approach
Foundational Estate Planning
Essential protection for individuals and families at any life stage
Whether you’re just starting your career, raising a family or approaching retirement, certain estate planning fundamentals are crucial for protecting your loved ones and your assets.
Core Estate Planning Elements:
- Will and Testament – Prepare your will and other key documents so your assets are distributed according to your wishes
- Power of Attorney – Nominate trusted people to manage your financial affairs if you can’t do so yourself
- Enduring Guardianship – Appoint someone to manage personal and medical decisions on your behalf, including property matters
- Beneficiary Nominations – Optimise superannuation and insurance benefit distributions, including making a binding death benefit nomination so your superannuation is paid to your intended beneficiaries
- Asset Protection Strategies – Structure your assets held in companies, trusts or business enterprises to minimise exposure to potential claims.
- Family Protection Focus: For families with children, estate planning takes on additional urgency. We help you identify all people who may have a claim or interest in your estate to minimise future disputes, establish guardianship arrangements and create trust structures for minor beneficiaries, with a trustee appointed to manage these assets. We also ensure adequate life insurance coverage to replace lost income and support your family’s lifestyle.
Advanced Estate Planning Strategies
Sophisticated solutions for substantial wealth and complex family situations
As your wealth grows and your family circumstances become more complex, your estate planning needs become more sophisticated. We work with high-net-worth individuals and families to implement advanced strategies that maximise wealth transfer while minimising tax implications. This includes managing complex estates and ensuring a trust established under a will is in place for effective estate distribution.
Advanced Planning Solutions:
- Discretionary Family Trusts – Flexible structures for income distribution and asset protection, utilising discretionary trusts for enhanced tax planning and safeguarding assets, especially in blended family situations
- Self Managed Superannuation Fund Estate Planning – Optimise tax-effective wealth transfer through superannuation, understanding how the fund deals with death benefit nominations and how superannuation death benefits may be taxed for beneficiaries
- Business Succession Planning – Ensure smooth transition of business ownership and operations
- Charitable Giving Strategies – Incorporate philanthropic goals while achieving tax benefits
- International Estate Planning – Address cross-border tax and legal considerations for global assets
Tax Optimisation Strategies: Our estate planning approach integrates comprehensive tax planning to help you:
- Minimise capital gains tax on asset transfers
- Optimise superannuation death benefit taxation
- Utilise available tax concessions and exemptions
- Structure charitable giving for maximum tax efficiency
- Plan for potential changes in tax legislation
The way superannuation death benefits are dealt with can significantly impact how they are taxed, so it’s essential to review arrangements regularly.
Business Owner Estate Planning
Specialised strategies for business owners and entrepreneurs
Business owners face unique estate planning challenges that require specialised expertise. Your business may be the majority of your wealth, so succession planning is critical for your family’s financial security and your business’s continued success.
Business-Specific Considerations:
- Business Valuation and Structure – Optimise business structure for succession and tax efficiency. Ensure business interests and shares are properly dealt with in succession planning to provide clarity for beneficiaries
- Key Person Insurance – Protect your business and family from the financial impact of your absence
- Buy-Sell Agreements – Establish clear terms for business ownership transfer, including developing strategies to deal with business assets after death
- Management Transition – Plan for leadership succession and operational continuity
- Liquidity Planning – Ensure your estate has adequate cash flow to meet obligations without forcing a business sale
Estate Planning for Different Life Stages
Young Families
Focus on protection through appropriate insurance coverage, guardianship arrangements for children and basic estate planning documents to ensure your family is provided for if the unexpected happens.
Established Professionals
Integrate estate planning with wealth accumulation strategies, optimise superannuation and investment structures and begin considering more sophisticated trust arrangements as wealth grows.
It’s also important to work with financial advisers to review and implement estate planning strategies, ensuring superannuation, tax and legal arrangements are optimised as your wealth increases.
Pre-Retirees
Transition from wealth accumulation to wealth preservation planning, finalise succession arrangements for business owners and implement tax-efficient strategies for asset transfer.
Retirees
Focus on legacy optimisation, ongoing management of estate planning structures, regular review and updates to reflect changing circumstances and integration with aged care planning considerations.
Regular Reviews
Estate planning is not a “set and forget” exercise. Changes in family circumstances, tax laws, asset values and personal wishes all require regular reviews and updates to your estate plan. We recommend comprehensive reviews at least every three years or following significant life events such as:
- Marriage, divorce or de facto relationship changes
- Birth or adoption of children or grandchildren
- Significant changes in asset values or business circumstances
- Changes in tax legislation affecting estate planning
- Retirement or major career changes
- Health changes or diagnosis of serious illness
It’s important to be prepared for these changes and seek professional advice to ensure your estate plan remains effective and compliant.
Our Estate Planning Process
Discovery and Assessment – We start by understanding your family circumstances, asset structure and personal wishes to develop a complete picture of your estate planning needs.
Strategy Development – Based on our assessment, we create a tailored estate planning strategy that meets your specific goals and optimises tax efficiency and asset protection.
Implementation – We work with trusted legal professionals to implement your estate planning documents and structures to ensure everything works together seamlessly.
Ongoing Management – Estate planning requires ongoing attention. We provide regular reviews, updates for changing circumstances and coordination with your other professional advisors.
Working with Professional Partners
Estate planning requires collaboration between multiple professionals. We work closely with experienced estate planning lawyers, accountants and other specialists to ensure your plan is comprehensive, legally sound and tax effective. Our role is to coordinate these relationships and ensure all aspects of your financial plan work together.
Peace of Mind for You and Your Family
The value of estate planning goes beyond the financial benefits. It gives you peace of mind knowing your family will be protected and your wishes will be respected. For your family, it’s a final act of love and consideration that will help them through a difficult time.
Estate planning is about creating certainty in an uncertain world, so the wealth you’ve worked so hard to build benefits the people and causes you care about most.
Ready to Protect Your Legacy?
Every family is unique, and effective estate planning requires a personalised approach that considers your specific circumstances, goals and values. Let’s talk about how we can help you create a comprehensive estate plan that protects your wealth, minimises tax implications and provides security for your loved ones.
Contact us today to book your estate planning appointment and start securing your family’s financial future.
Contact us today to book your initial consultation and start your financial journey.