Do you have a will? If so, have you reviewed it recently?
What is a will?
You simply must have a will, no matter how wealthy or healthy or apparently unwealthy or unhealthy you may be.
A will is a formal document by which you can legally determine what happens to your assets when you die, which as you would appreciate can come at any time.
Who can make a will?
Anyone who is over 18 and of sound mind must have a will and even if you have a will you should review your will from time to time particularly if your circumstances change.
If you die without a will, you are said to have died intestate. The effect of that is that the State then dictates how your estate is to be distributed, not you, so in effect you are letting the State, in general terms, make that decision for you.
The impact that this may have on your family can be potentially devastating. For example, if you have a spouse and children under 18, the first $100,000 of your estate goes to your spouse, and the rest of your estate is divided 50-50 between your spouse and your children whose share will then be held in trust for them by Public Trustee. A very messy situation that could cause financial hardship to your spouse and to your children. Why take the risk?
You should review your will every few years and particularly if your circumstances change such as marriage, separation, divorce, entering into or exiting from a de facto relationship, the birth or death of spouses or children, when your asset holdings change significantly, going into business, setting up a family trust, an impending bankruptcy – the list is endless.
Here is an important list of facts about wills that you must know:
We will give you advice in relation to whether or not you need to review your will.
We provide the following services in relation to wills:
It is a disturbing fact that nearly one half of Australians do not have a will (and many Australians have will kit wills which in some circumstances may be worse than having no will at all) and we have seen the impact on South Australian families when a loved one has died prematurely and intestate. Don’t be another sad statistic or legal case study; call Di Rosa Lawyers now on (08) 8276 7955.
Do you have a will? If so, have you reviewed it recently?
What is a will?
You simply must have a will, no matter how wealthy or healthy or apparently unwealthy or unhealthy you may be.
A will is a formal document by which you can legally determine what happens to your assets when you die, which as you would appreciate can come at any time.
Who can make a will?
Anyone who is over 18 and of sound mind must have a will and even if you have a will you should review your will from time to time particularly if your circumstances change.
If you die without a will, you are said to have died intestate. The effect of that is that the State then dictates how your estate is to be distributed, not you, so in effect you are letting the State, in general terms, make that decision for you.
The impact that this may have on your family can be potentially devastating. For example, if you have a spouse and children under 18, the first $100,000 of your estate goes to your spouse, and the rest of your estate is divided 50-50 between your spouse and your children whose share will then be held in trust for them by Public Trustee. A very messy situation that could cause financial hardship to your spouse and to your children. Why take the risk?
You should review your will every few years and particularly if your circumstances change such as marriage, separation, divorce, entering into or exiting from a de facto relationship, the birth or death of spouses or children, when your asset holdings change significantly, going into business, setting up a family trust, an impending bankruptcy – the list is endless.
Here is an important list of facts about wills that you must know:
We will give you advice in relation to whether or not you need to review your will.
We provide the following services in relation to wills:
It is a disturbing fact that nearly one half of Australians do not have a will (and many Australians have will kit wills which in some circumstances may be worse than having no will at all) and we have seen the impact on South Australian families when a loved one has died prematurely and intestate. Don’t be another sad statistic or legal case study; call Di Rosa Lawyers now on (08) 8276 7955.
You can give us a call us on (08) 8276 7955 to book an appointment
You can also email us via our Contact page
Download our questionnaire here and send it to us
Book a time to see us via our client portal here
The first telephone and/or online consultation (up to 20 minutes) is always free and carries no obligation.
By giving us as much information as you can at the outset this will help us provide legal solutions to your problems as quickly and cost-effectively as possible – so you can get on with your life.