Blended family dynamics can be complicated, especially when it comes to estate planning. If you're a step-parent preparing your estate plan, you may feel uneasy about recent changes in South Australian succession law, particularly the expanded rights of step-children...
Running a business, whether large, small or a family business isn’t easy. You’re constantly balancing cash flow, staff, suppliers, and pressure from creditors coinciding with the eternal goal to grow. Sometimes due to extenuating circumstances; whether that be market...
As a private business owner, you may assume that because you control your company, its assets are your own, you probably even refer to them as ‘my property’ or ‘my farm’. But does this mean you can leave company assets to whomever you like in your Will? As Ireland v...
You've just dismissed an employee who wasn't performing. Two weeks later, you receive an unfair dismissal claim. Then another letter arrives, a general protections claim for the same termination. Your stomach drops. Which one is worse? Can they do both? And how much...
The great wealth transfer has arrived Australia is entering one of the largest intergenerational wealth transfers in history. Over the next 20 years, an estimated $5.4 trillion in property, business assets, superannuation and investments will pass from one generation...
Imagine this: You’ve just received a letter threatening legal action. It might come directly from a lawyer.  Maybe it’s full of legal jargon. Your heart sinks, and the questions start to race through your mind: “What do I do now? Am I running out of time? How bad...
Joining a board of directors is a significant responsibility that requires careful preparation. Whether you’re an experienced executive or an aspiring board member, ensuring you are fully equipped for the role is crucial. Here are five key steps to help you get board-ready and excel in your directorship.Â
As our team returns to office after a relaxing break to cap off 2025, we are taking a moment to look back on a bzzzzy and rewarding year for our team. After a turbulent few years, many of us have craved the comfort and peace of stability and quietness. There were...
As property prices and borrowing challenges persist in Australia, more families are turning to guarantor loans - commonly referred to in the media as the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ - with brokers reporting significant growth in parents providing guarantees to help children...
Digital assets such as cryptocurrency and online accounts are easily lost after death without planning. Here’s what families and family businesses need to know about probate in the digital age.Â
It is not unusual for companies, particularly newer, capital-constrained ones, to accept loans from, or make repayments to directors (or their associates). This might be for working capital, bridging shortfalls, or to enable new business initiatives. However,...
Appointing two executors might sound like a sensible way to share responsibility, indeed, it is something we often recommend, but what if those executors can’t agree, or worse, one refuses to act? The Supreme Court of New South Wales case Wise v Barry; The Estate of...
If you are creating a testamentary or discretionary trust, you want to know it will operate smoothly long after you are gone. But what happens if the trustee you appoint loses the capacity to make decisions? Without the right safeguards, the trust you designed to...
Two strategic tools, the ‘bucket company’ and the ‘banker company’. Both strategies offer high-net-worth families a way to cap tax exposure, preserve capital, and support long-term intergenerational planning.
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