Understanding your personal and financial situation is critical to good estate planning. The more accurate information provided, the better the advice we can give you to achieve your desired objectives.
Please consider the following issues before your appointment and bring along copies of all relevant documents you may have.
Personal Assets
- What assets do you own?
- Are they in your name alone or in joint names?
- If in joint names, do you own as joint tenants or tenants in common?
- Do you own each asset outright or do you have a loan?
- Do you have a Family Law Financial Agreement?
- Relevant documents could include Financial Agreements or Loan Agreements.
Life Insurance
- Is your life insured?
- If yes, who owns the policy?
- Has a beneficiary been formally nominated?
- What is the purpose of the policy?
- Relevant documents could include insurance policies and beneficiary nominations.
Superannuation
- What is the approximate value?
- Do you have any life insurance with superannuation?
- Has a beneficiary been formally nominated? Do you know if this is binding?
- Do you have a self-managed fund?
- Relevant documents could include latest superannuation statement, binding death benefit nominations or the deed for any self-managed fund.
Business and Investment Structures
- Do you have a family trust?
- Do you have a private company or partnership agreement?
- Do you have a business succession agreement?
- Relevant documents could include a family trust deed, constitution for any private company, plus latest financial statements, partnership deed, business succession agreement.
Other information
Please bring along any other information and documents that you feel may be relevant to your estate plan. This may include your existing Will, Power of Attorney, business succession agreement or financial agreement with a partner. You should also consider how you would like to distribute your estate and any specific gifts that you would like to make.