What is probate?
What is Probate? by Jacqui Brauman I’m quite often asked: what is probate? A lot of people think that it is a tax, and that it’s an amount that is paid depending on how big the estate [...]
Crucial Roles in Wills
Crucial Roles in Wills A Will is a written document which declares a person’s testamentary intentions (how you would like your estate to be distributed on your death). For a Will to be valid in Victoria it [...]
Learn How To Make A Claim Against A Will
Learn how to make a claim against a Will (or how to avoid one) by Jacqui Brauman Since a couple of years ago, Victoria has had narrow categories of people who are allowed to make a claim [...]
What Happens If I Die Without A Will?
What Happens If I Die Without A Will? by Jacqui Brauman If you die without a Will, you die ‘intestate’. Each State has its own laws about intestacy, so if you die in Victoria without a Will, [...]
The Truth About Insolvent Estates
The Truth About Insolvent Estates What happens when someone dies insolvent, meaning that they have more debt than assets? The first myth is that the executor will be liable for the debts. This is not true, if [...]
Estate Proceeds Trusts
Estate Proceeds Trusts: a case study by Jacqui Brauman This case study will illustrate what an estate proceeds trust is, and how it can be used when the Will was a basic Will that didn't set up [...]
What Should Executors Look Out For in a Will?
What Should Executors Look Out For in a Will? by Jacqui Brauman If you're serving as the executor of someone's estate, it may not be enough to read the provisions of the Will and follow what it [...]
Where There’s A Will
SBS aired a show on Insight in September called “Where There’s A Willâ€. I didn’t see it at the time, but a lot of people mentioned it to me. So I looked it up...
Death Taxes?
Death Taxes? by Jacqui Brauman We have been lucky in Australia that there has not been any probate duty for decades, and that inheritance from a deceased estate is not taxed as income. Luckier still, in Victoria, [...]
Solicitors Acting as Executors
Solicitors Acting as Executors If you don't feel like you have anyone appropriate to appoint as your executor in your will, then you may look to appoint a trustee company, such as the State Trustees, or another [...]