Estate Planning

Estate planning is all about planning for your future and the future generations of your family.

It involves planning for what happens upon your passing with a Will and planning for incapacity with Enduring Power of Attorney and Appointment of Enduring Guardian documents.

Wills

Standard Wills:

• $440 for individuals

• $680 for couples

Additional cost for:

• Complex Wills

• Blended family strategies

• Testamentary Discretionary Trusts

Taking the time and spending the money to create a legally enforceable, well drafted Will is an entirely selfless act because has no direct benefit to you, but it ensures that your loved ones are looked after upon your death.

Your Will is the vehicle you create to ensure that your assets and property pass as seamlessly as possible to your loved ones when you are no longer here to oversee the transaction. But a Will is so much more than this. You also appoint an executor to become your legal personal representative when you pass. Your executor has an important job of looking after your beneficiary’s interest in your estate.

Your executor also makes decisions about your funeral and what happens to your body, they secure your assets and keep them insured, pay your liabilities, get Probate on your Will from the Supreme Court NSW (if required), distribute your estate in accordance with your Will, defend any claims against your estate so on. Another important aspect of a Will is appointing a guardian of any minor children.

Enduring Power of Attorney

• $330 for individuals

• $460 for couples

An Enduring Power of Attorney document gives the person you appoint as attorney the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf concerning your legal and financial affairs.

An Enduring Power of Attorney is an essential tool in your estate planning arsenal because it ensures that you have certainty over who will look after your legal and financial affairs on your behalf if you lose legal capacity and can no longer make these decisions for yourself.

Having your Enduring Power of Attorney drafted properly is crucial to ensure that your chosen attorney has the authority to look after you when you are at your most vulnerable.

Appointment of Enduring Guardians

• $330 for individuals

• $460 for couples

An Appointment of Enduring Guardian is a document that allows you to appoint a guardian you trust to look after your health and lifestyle decisions on your behalf if you lose legal capacity and can no longer make these decisions for yourself.

Your guardian is legally empowered by you to make decision around things like:

• Consenting to medical and dental treatment on your behalf.

• Deciding where you will live.

• Deciding what kinds of personal services you will receive.

• Refusing consent to medical treatment on your behalf in certain instances (e.g blood transfusions, during final stages of palliative care).

This document dovetails with your Enduring Power of Attorney to ensure that all your needs are looked after by the people you trust most to make these crucial decisions on your behalf when you are at your most vulnerable.

Estate Planning Essentials Packages

• $950 for individuals

• $1550 for couples

Create all three essential estate planning documents at a reduced price, including a standard Will, Enduring Power of Attorney, and Appointment of Enduring Guardian.

Not sure which documents you need?

Often people have questions about what is best for their unique personal circumstances. At your appointment we will explore all your questions and concerns and provide legal advice. You can decide which documents you would like to get at the appointment.

How we work

We will book you in for an initial consultation where Naomi will take your instructions and provide personalised legal advice.

We then prepare your documents and email them to you to make sure you are happy with them. Sometimes our initial appointment raises questions that people want to think about. Other times people come to the appointment knowing what they want. Either way we email back and forth with you the draft documents until they are ready to be signed.

When you are 100% satisfied and confident with your documents, we will book you in for a signing appointment. At this appointment you will execute your documents.

If you have an Enduring Power of Attorney or Appointment of Enduring Guardian, we will then get in touch with your appointees to meet with them, explain the documents to them, and have them accept their appointment.

When the documents are finalised, we will provide a copy to you, and keep originals in our safe custody at no extra cost.

Our goal throughout this process is for you to feel confident and satisfied that your documents represent your wishes. If you have any questions along the way, we are here and happy to help.

We can travel to you

Sometimes circumstances mean that you are not able to travel to us. We can visit you in hospital in care or at home at an additional fee. The cost for this service is:

• $150 per visit within 20km of our office

• $10 per km after 20km

• $400 for urgent documents (usually completed at hospital)

You can phone us to book in a visit at your location, or use the Book Online button and select request meeting at your location.