Estate Planning
What is estate planning?
Estate planning is about wealth succession - a way to help protect the wealth you have built over your lifetime, so that it is distributed according to your wishes following your death.
You spend a large part of your life working to earn money to look after yourself, to provide for your family and to save for the future. Given the focus that is placed on creating wealth while you are alive, it seems logical to want some control over what happens to these assets once you are gone.
Estate planning is about giving you that control. Control to make sure that:
- the people you care about are looked after once you are gone, and
- your assets are passed to the people you want to receive them.
Who benefits from estate planning?
Estate planning is beneficial for everyone. The more complicated your personal and financial affairs, the more important it is to have an estate plan.
Planning for the future becomes more important at certain times in your life, such as:
- getting married, living with a partner, separating or getting divorced
- having children, including step-children
- moving house, interstate or overseas
- buying real estate or other valuable assets
- family separation involving other family members
- buying, selling or operating a business
- setting up a family trust or company, or
- if you have family members with special needs or children who are vulnerable.
What's involved in estate planning?
There are three main tools that can help you with your succession planning.
- A Will
- Powers of Attorney
- Superannuation nominations