Talk to Your Family About Your Final Wishes

Talk to Your Family About Your Final Wishes

Your executor is your personal legal representative when you die. He or she has the role of ensuring that the wishes set out in your Will are followed. Your executor will deal with your estate lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and real estate agents. He or she will maintain estate accounts, pay bills and generally oversee the administration of your estate.

Generally, a person’s spouse or child will be nominated for this role. However, because of the dynamics involved in blended families it may be preferable to appoint one or more neutral friends or professionals who you trust so that the role may be carried out with impartiality.

 When making your Will, you may choose to provide an immediate gift to your children upon your death rather than your children waiting to inherit after the death of your partner. A life insurance policy nominating the children as beneficiaries might be appropriate in this instance.

If the estate is significant, the Will could provide for an immediate gift of real estate, money or other valuable asset to the children. This will safeguard against the possibility of your children missing out on an inheritance should your partner later change their Will or your estate assets diminish.

If you and your partner hold real estate as joint tenants, you might consider changing this to a tenancy in common. A joint tenancy means that the share of property held by a deceased tenant automatically goes to the surviving tenant. This cannot be altered by Will. However, if the property is held as tenants in common, your share may be left to your children subject to leaving your partner a life interest in that share of the property.

A life interest will provide your partner a continued right to reside in and use the property until he/she dies at which stage your share will revert to your children. Note however, that life interests can be complex due to circumstances such as health and aging of the surviving partner who may need to downsize or move to an aged care facility.

According to New South Wales law, if you don’t have a legal Will your estate will be divided according to the rules of intestacy which is set in legislation. This means that even if a friend or relative is appointed to obtain administration of your estate, the law decides who your beneficiaries are and how your estate is
divided.

If there is a question about someone’s mental capacity to make a will, then an opinion, preferably in writing, should be obtained from that person’s treating doctor. The opinion should state that the Will maker has the required testamentary capacity to make a Will.

If you are worried because you know someone who wants to make a Will and may not have capacity or may be in the early stages of dementia and you are not sure, then it is prudent to encourage them to consult a lawyer who is experienced in Will making and to do this as soon as possible.

Making a Will is important, particularly if you are part of a blended family. A blended family is a family in which one or both partners have a child or children from a previous relationship. Careful estate planning now should ensure that all of your intended beneficiaries are provided for when you die and that the potential for conflict within the family unit is minimised.

The dynamics and needs within families evolve and personal assets may fluctuate from year to year. However, by identifying the potential issues that might arise within each family unit, and considering some options to address these, an effective estate plan can be accomplished. To ensure that your estate and your desired beneficiaries are protected into the future and to avoid these avoidable dramas talk to an experienced wills and estates lawyer.

If you or someone you know wants more information or needs help or advice, please contact us on 02 6542 5566 or email  michaelobrien@equilaw.com.au.