Do Your 2023 Goals Include Estate Planning: Protecting Your Assets And Your Family

It’s already March and 2023 is well on its way. Did you take a moment to reflect and write goals for 2023?  Did ‘write a will’ form part of your list of goals? Have you considered your estate planning needs for you and your family? 

Estate planning can seem to be too difficult, ‘uncomfy’ to speak about or just tedious and the uncertainty about how it all comes together may make it seem like it is all too hard. However, without a Will we leave our families unsure of our final wishes and the forum for disagreements and disputes is left wide open. Your estate planning  can include what assets we want to pass to who and when, who keeps the sentimental keepsakes, if there are any specific funeral wishes, if organ donation is relevant and much more. 

In estate planning we often see people leaving estate planning until the very last minute, when it may just be too late. We wish to reiterate to you that estate planning can, and often is, quite straight forward.

Let us explain: 

Step 1 - CONSIDERATION 

• Consider who you would like to benefit from your estate.
• Consider what you would like to pass as gifts, if any.
• Consider who you would like to be the executor.
• Consider things such as do you own land in your name or joint names with a partner, do you have family trusts, young children and who you would appoint as guardian, would you like to include funeral arrangements.   

Step 2 - THE PHONE CALL

• Contact us via (08) 9288 6000 or email at iain.freeman@lavan.com.au or kerri.evangelista@lavan.com.au
• Attention Estate Planning Team – I need help with estate planning.  
• You will be able to speak directly with an estate planning lawyer who will guide you through the process. This call is completely free of charge.

Step 3 - THE MEETING 

• Once you have explained your wishes, your estate planning lawyer  will send you a fixed fee estimate (this means that there will be no other costs unless you decide to change what you want your estate planning lawyer to do) and will confirm your wishes.
• Your documents would be drafted and emailed to you to confirm they reflect your wishes.
•  You will then meet with the estate planning lawyer to execute the documents.

Summary

Seeing a lawyer is strongly advised to assist with your estate planning and is a vital step in ensuring your wishes are documented validly in a will and to ensure your loved ones are protected after your passing. Lavan can assist drafting estate planning documents such as a will, an advance health directive, enduring power of attorneys and enduring power of guardianships.  

Contact Iain Freeman or Kerri Evangelista on 9288 6000