This Month
Lachlan Murdoch takes family media empire, paying siblings $5b to exit
The deal brings to an end almost two years of bitter legal wranglings over control, cementing Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son’s leadership at News Corp and Fox.
Jacqueline stands to inherit $43m. She sued her father’s estate anyway
The case of Ian Cotter’s fortune and his daughter’s inheritance highlights the increasing complexity of estate planning in a world of divorce and blended families.
August
Is a binding death nomination or reversionary pension best?
Here are the options when nominating the people who will benefit from your superannuation on the event of your death.
Should you tell the kids what’s in your will?
Many parents worry that revealing too much about their estate might discourage their children from building their own financial futures.
What the kids expect to inherit (and why they’re in for a rude shock)
Gen Z have great expectations – half hope to inherit half a million dollars or more – but the costs of living longer may be a shock for them and their parents.
These 4 inheritance traps are a threat to your family legacy
When money moves between generations, mistakes multiply. Here are four instances where inheritance went horribly wrong.
Save $5b a year with changes to ‘wealthy’ pensions: Labor adviser
The Department of Social Services this year warned new minister Tanya Plibersek that rich seniors were claiming the pension while also building inheritances.
5 inheritance blunders that worry wealthy families most
Fights over money can quickly hijack harmony. Don’t leave hard decisions until after you’re gone – or for the courts to resolve.
July
I’m inheriting $300,000 from my father. Will I have to pay tax?
Sometimes it’s better to distribute shares among beneficiaries rather than selling them and passing on the cash.
Too many wealthy home owners claiming age pension, Plibersek warned
Affluent retirees are being subsidised by low and middle-income earners while building their nest eggs, the Department of Social Services says.
My father left me out of his will. What can I do?
A court will not consider what is “fair” but whether your father had a moral obligation to provide for you.
Debelle gives economists an almighty pep talk, and a word of caution
The former RBA deputy governor says the next generation must crack the riddle of intergenerational wealth, and warns core concepts are becoming outdated.
You’re richer than you know: inside the inheritocracy
Chanticleer columnist James Thomson and Wealth reporter Lucy Dean on the surge in inherited wealth and how it’s changing what we think about business, money – and love.
June
A chicken sexer’s $13.6m iPhone will failed. Here’s why
Colin Peek left his assets to a friend in a phone note ending with “no one else gets a thing”. A judge rejected it, but for a surprising reason.
Billionaire Telegram founder to leave fortune to his 100 children
Controversial chief executive and avid sperm donor Pavel Durov has just written his will that provides $US170 million to each of his offspring.
Just one stock made me a member of the inheritocracy
The surge in Commonwealth Bank shares since they listed has given me a huge financial problem, but it is one I am very happy to have.
I found love (again) at 57. Here’s how I protected my finances
“Mama bear mode” helped Amanda Tomsic protect her finances when she re-partnered later in life. Here are seven other steps you can take.
May
You’re probably part of Australia’s new inheritocracy
A quarter of the Rich List derived their wealth from inheritance, reflecting a wider shift as Australians start to transfer a staggering $5.4 trillion to the next generation.
The disturbing things I learnt when my name appeared on the Rich List
When future Rich Lists are populated by beneficiaries rather than entrepreneurs, wealth inequality risks becoming a cancer on our egalitarian ethos.
How to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime inheritance windfall
Involving a financial adviser in the tricky conversations around family finances can be a way to make sure everyone has an opportunity to build wealth equally.