why diy wills arent for winners

Why DIY Wills aren’t for winners

DIY Wills
why diy wills arent for winners

Why?  Because he was a busy person who preferred to have it done for him, and he believed (justifiably) that the chef in the kitchen had access to professional carving knives that would make sharper cleaner cuts than Elvis could achieve for himself.

The ‘King’ recognised the efficiency of employing a specialist to do something better than he could do for himself.

You remember the famous words “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life!”

what sort of parachute do you want

What sort of parachute do you want?

Wills and Estate Planning
what sort of parachute do you want

I did a test today, and researched the cost of buying a parachute.

The prices varied between $200 for a used army surplus item, through to $10,000 for a brand new high performance competition model.

In between I found a few reputable Australian manufacturers with decades of specialist experience, quality assurance, compliance with safety certification, and transparent in-depth information about the company and their staff and processes on their website.

whats your excuse

What’s Your Excuse?

Skype Wills
whats your excuse

I get it. I’m not a kid any more, and I’m supposed to be grown-up and ‘responsible’. It’s time to “put my affairs in order”.

Thinking about making a Will just isn’t fun. No-one wants to confront their own mortality. And talking to a lawyer is boring – and expensive – right?

Plus I’d have to take time-off work to drive across town to the lawyer’s office. Finding a carpark is always a pain.

why single people should plan their estate

Why single people should plan their estate

Wills and Estate Planning
why single people should plan their estate

In our law practice, we talk a lot about estate planning for families.

It’s the most common application for our services—parents want to be able to protect the money they’ve saved and the assets they’ve accrued for their children, and provide an easy way for their assets to be passed down to their children when they die.

However a person who is single with no children—or, for that matter, a childless person whose spouse has passed away—may need estate planning services even more.

trust has to be earned

Trust has to be earned

Wills and Estate Planning
trust has to be earned

When I was a kid, I saw how people naturally gravitated to my mum and dad when they needed help.

Extended family and close friends turned to them when they were in trouble, and I used to wonder what it was that made my folks the ‘go-to’ people in that situation.

My mum was great at comforting people. She just had this way about her that put people at their ease. She welcomed them and – somehow – embraced them emotionally.

rebellious rant about wills

Rebellious Rant about Wills

Wills and Estate Planning
rebellious rant about wills

I’ve taken a hammering this week from people misplacing their anger about Wills and estates, and I’m sick of it. RANT ON:

I’ve just hung up the phone from an otherwise sweet lady, whose 100 year-old aunt had recently died without a Will.

I had to explain to her about the process of applying for Letters of Administration (differing from Probate), and which relatives have priority to do so, and how much the fees and expenses would be.

How Do I Find a Good Wills and Estates Lawyer

How Do I Find a Good Wills and Estates Lawyer?

Wills and Estate Planning
How Do I Find a Good Wills and Estates Lawyer

Finding a good lawyer is no easy task. Even if you know a good lawyer, they might not specialise in the area of law you require.

Whatever type of legal issue you find yourself confronting, finding the right lawyer is crucial for the outcome of the matter.

The first step in finding a lawyer is determining what type of issue you have. The category of lawyer that you are seeking, specialises in ‘Wills & Estates’.

We need to talk about dying and death

Wills and Estate Planning
we need to talk about dying and death

South Australia wants more people to talk about it.

Medical breakthroughs and public health improvements have greatly increased life expectancy.

Other medical and technical developments have enabled many people to remain active for longer, giving them a better quality of life, as well as a longer life.

The flipside of this is the ballooning cast of care, accomodation and medications for the over 70’s.

Do not store your original Will at the bank

Do not store your original Will at the bank

Wills and Estate Planning
Do not store your original Will at the bank

Major bank’s belated discovery of stored Wills could trigger estate disputes

It has emerged that one of the largest and oldest banks in the world – Lloyds Bank – has discovered a cache of thousands of stored Wills in its ‘Safe Custody’ service.

The service was closed to new customers in 2011, but in 2019 the bank discovered that the approximately 190,000 papers still stored there included about 9,000 Wills. Some of the envelopes could not be matched to Lloyds’ customers.