Estate Planning Collaboration
Bringing your financial structures and estate intentions together, coordinated with your solicitor and accountant.
Why coordination matters
Estate planning is about more than preparing a will. It involves deciding who can act for you, how assets should be managed and transferred, and whether your financial structures support the people and causes that matter to you.
Not every asset passes through a will. Superannuation, jointly owned assets, trusts, companies and insurance proceeds can each follow different rules. A will prepared without reference to those structures may not produce the intended result.
We do not provide legal advice or draft legal documents. We help you understand the financial planning issues that need attention and coordinate with your solicitor and accountant, so the legal, tax and financial pieces are considered together.
Key areas a review covers
- Your will — prepared by your solicitor, and reviewed after significant life or financial changes
- Enduring powers of attorney — appointing someone to make financial or personal decisions if you lose capacity
- Superannuation death benefits — nominations may be binding or non-binding, can expire, and are taxed differently depending on the recipient
- Personal insurance — life cover may provide liquidity to repay debt, support dependants or assist with estate equalisation
- Trusts, companies and business interests — control does not necessarily transfer the same way as personally owned assets, so succession arrangements need attention
Questions a review can clarify
- Are your will and powers of attorney current?
- Do your superannuation nominations align with your intentions?
- Is there enough liquidity to meet debts, tax and other estate costs?
- Could an inheritance create unintended tax, asset-protection or family consequences?
- Who will control trusts, companies or business interests?
- Do your financial adviser, solicitor and accountant share a consistent understanding of the plan?
A considered, collaborative process
A review is sensible after a change in relationships, dependants, health, residency, business ownership or asset structure. Even without a major event, periodic review can identify expired nominations, outdated appointments or changes in legislation.
We help organise the financial information, identify the issues that need professional advice and implement the agreed financial planning actions. Your solicitor remains responsible for legal advice and documentation, and your accountant for the relevant tax consequences.
A transparent process, with fees disclosed upfront
We are paid only by our clients. We receive no third-party payments and do not charge insurance commissions, removing financial conflicts so we can work in your best interest.
Understand your position
An initial discovery meeting, at no cost or obligation, to understand your circumstances, priorities and the decisions in front of you.
Clarify the decisions
We identify what matters most, separate immediate needs from longer-term goals and explain the trade-offs in plain language.
Agree the terms of engagement
Where there is mutual fit, we prepare terms of engagement setting out our approach, how we would work together and the fees involved — disclosed fully, on a 12-month upfront basis, before you commit to anything.
Implement and review
We help put the agreed strategy into practice and review it as markets, legislation and your circumstances change.