Wealth transfer and estate planning

Passing on what you’ve built involves more than a will. Super, tax, and structures all shape what actually reaches the people you intend. We plan the financial and tax side of your estate, and work alongside your solicitor so the legal documents match the plan.

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Your will is years old, or doesn't exist yet

Life has moved since the last version. New assets, new relationships, children, a business. An estate plan that doesn't match your current position can distribute your estate in ways you never intended.

No one has looked at the tax side of your estate

What your beneficiaries receive depends heavily on how assets are held and how they're passed on. Because our planners sit alongside our accountants, the tax consequences are read into the plan from the start, not discovered afterwards.

Your wealth sits across structures, not just your name

A family trust, a company, an SMSF, property in joint names. A will only controls what you personally own, and most people don't realise how much of their wealth sits outside it. One team across planning, tax, and structures means the whole position gets planned, not just the will.

Your super won't automatically follow your will

Super is one of the largest assets most people leave behind, and it's dealt with under its own rules and nominations. Getting those nominations right, and understanding how they're taxed, is one of the most overlooked parts of estate planning.

Your family situation isn't simple

A blended family, children from a previous relationship, a family business with some children involved and some not. These are the estates where good planning matters most, and where we work closely with your solicitor to get the structure right.

How It Works

A clear process from where things stand today to an estate plan that holds together

Map What You Hold

We map everything. Assets in your name, in structures, in super, and who you want each part to reach.

Read The Tax Position

Our planners and accountants read how each asset would pass, and what that means for the people receiving it.

Plan The Transfer

We plan how your estate transfers. Super nominations, structures, and the financial side of the will.

Work With Your Solicitor

Your solicitor drafts the legal documents. We work alongside them so the will matches the plan, and review as life changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my super automatically go to whoever is in my will?

No, and this surprises almost everyone. Super sits outside your estate and is paid according to the nomination you’ve made with your fund, or at the fund trustee’s discretion if there isn’t a valid one. Binding nominations generally lapse and need renewing, which is where many estates come unstuck. If you want your super to follow your will, that has to be deliberately arranged. Moneysmart confirms this is one of the most misunderstood parts of estate planning.

What happens if I die without a will?

Your estate is distributed under your state’s intestacy rules, a legislated formula that takes no account of your circumstances or what you would have wanted. It’s slower, often more expensive, and the outcome can be very different from what you intended, especially for partners and blended families. A current, properly drafted will is the single most important document in any estate plan.

Will my children pay tax on what I leave them?

Australia has no inheritance tax, but that’s not the whole story. How super death benefits are taxed depends on who receives them, and a spouse can be treated very differently from an adult child. Capital gains can also arise when inherited assets are later sold. The ATO sets these rules, and planning ahead of time is what determines whether they work for your family or against it.

Is a will kit good enough, or do I need a solicitor?

For a genuinely simple estate, a kit can technically produce a valid will. The catch is that most estates aren’t as simple as they look. Multiple beneficiaries, property, super, a business, or a blended family all create traps a template can’t see, and the money saved on the will is often spent many times over on the dispute it causes. We plan the financial and tax side, and a solicitor drafts the legal documents properly.

Is estate planning just making a will?

The will is one document inside a larger plan. A complete estate plan also covers your super nominations, how assets held in trusts or companies pass on, powers of attorney if you lose capacity, and the tax position of the people receiving everything. A will only controls what you personally own, and for many people that’s a smaller share of their wealth than they think.

What is a testamentary trust and do I need one?

A trust created by your will that comes into effect when you die. Instead of beneficiaries receiving assets directly, the trust holds them, which can protect an inheritance from a beneficiary’s divorce, creditors, or circumstances, and can distribute income tax-effectively. They suit some estates and add needless complexity to others. Whether one belongs in your plan depends on your position and your family.

IS YOUR ESTATE PLAN ACTUALLY COMPLETE?

Have a conversation with us. We’ll tell you clearly where you stand