December 2024
- Updated
- Murdoch family case
Logan Roy’s death morphed into a real life Murdoch succession drama
Shortly after the fictional patriarch died on television, the family behind the News and Fox empires began to plot life after their patriarch, Rupert.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
October 2024
Who three childless couples plan to leave their money to
One of the joys of a life well lived is lavishing the wealth you’ve created on others. If you don’t have natural heirs, thorough estate planning is crucial.
- Nina Hendy and Joanna Mather
Would your family trust survive a black sheep attack?
Trusts are the go-to structure for asset protection and inheritance planning but as more wealthy families are discovering, they’re not bulletproof. Experts weigh in on how to prevent costly showdowns.
- Duncan Hughes
September 2024
Disputes over the remains of loved ones are on the rise
Fights over funeral arrangements and ashes are increasingly ending up in courts. What to know about your rights and responsibilities.
- Duncan Hughes
Why this Baby Boomer is leaving everything to her grandkids - not kids
Grandchildren are emerging as winners of the $4.9 trillion generational wealth transfer as the bank of nan and pop funds home deposits, cars and tuition fees.
- Duncan Hughes and Lucy Dean
July 2024
Six questions to ask your adult kids before writing a will
Not everybody has the financial literacy and emotional intelligence to handle a significant inheritance.
- Nina Hendy
- Opinion
- Opinion
What’s a close personal relationship? The ATO has its own idea
There are limited circumstances in which superannuation benefits can be passed on tax-free, and a lot depends on the relationship definition.
- Peter Townsend
New $3m super tax is ‘stealing my children’s inheritance’
Family enterprises face hard questions about whether to abandon their succession and retirement plans by selling their shops, farms and factories,
- Duncan Hughes
Court denies deathbed wish to award $1.2m to estranged lover
A bitter family fight over a super inheritance highlights the role of binding death nominations, how they work and why it is necessary to regularly review them.
- Duncan Hughes
June 2024
When bank of mum and dad comes with interest
Retirees are increasingly expected to live with, care for and financially support older and younger family members. Here’s your guide to avoiding strife when it comes to wills, means testing and elder abuse.
- Duncan Hughes
What to do with $400,000 inheritance when you have no super
A windfall could give a woman living in her daughter’s granny flat access to three income streams.
- John Wasiliev
May 2024
Decades after tycoon’s death, his family is suing each other over a mansion
Tech tycoon’s widow says she felt ‘used and abused’ in a dispute that pitted her three children against her – and each other.
- Duncan Hughes
Why there is no such thing as a simple will
You’ve got to understand what you’re giving up when you sign a simple will – and how there are better ways to protect your loved ones.
- Peter Townsend
April 2024
A child won a share of her dad’s estate – despite planning to kill him
A 75 per cent success rate in contesting wills is encouraging more family members to sue for a bigger share. Here’s how to protect your final wishes.
- Duncan Hughes
March 2024
The most ‘dangerous’ phrase in inheritance planning
“To be shared equally between my children” sounds simple, yet it’s anything but.
- Penny Pryor
What to do with a big inheritance
Around $10 billion worth of shares, cash and property is bequeathed every month in Australia. Experts weight in on how to manage a windfall.
- Duncan Hughes
February 2024
The inheritance promise that will rip your family apart
Small businesses and farms are potential battlegrounds where future generations dispute verbal agreements about who gets what.
- Duncan Hughes
This bygone inheritance strategy is making a comeback
Unborn children and grandchildren are taking precedence over in-laws and other new arrivals as blended families raise the stakes in estate planning.
- Duncan Hughes
December 2023
- Opinion
- Inheritance
How to claim your spouse’s super after they die
There’s a way to move their retirement savings to your super – this is how to get things going.
- Meg Heffron
November 2023
Our son is demanding an early inheritance. Should we give it to him?
It’s not always a good idea, but there are ways that make it watertight and fair to everyone.