Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 2 April 2016. Jane makes a will leaving her house to her daughter. She leaves the rest of her estate to her grandchildren. Jane also makes a power of attorney, appointing her son Andrew as her attorney. The power of attorney contains a condition that it only comes into effect when a medical practitioner certifies that Jane was no longer able to manage her affairs. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 26 March 2016. When Jane passes away at the age of 75, her estate consists of a share in real estate worth $550,000. Jane was never married and did not have any children. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 19 March 2016. John and Jane have been in a de facto relationship for the last 15 years. They both have children from previous relationships. John and Jane own their home jointly and John is concerned that when he dies, Jane will receive the house and that his children may miss out on their inheritance. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 27 February 2016. This is a “rule-of-thumb” time period during which a deceased estate should be distributed. An executor obtains personal protection from creditors if a notice of intention to distribute is published on the Supreme Court web-site and 6 months from the date of death expires. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 12 March 2016. When James unexpectedly passes away at the age of 35, his parents, namely John and Jane, dispute the distribution of his superannuation funds. James had no children and was not in a relationship at the time of his death. Although the accumulated balance of his superannuation was not large, there was an insurance policy related to his superannuation fund, which resulted in a death benefit payout of $230,000. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 20 February 2016. John and Jane, both in their 60’s, have been dating for several years and John decides to “pop the question”. Jane accepts his proposal and they make plans to get married. John owns his own home and has a substantial amount of superannuation. He went through a messy divorce and property settlement many years ago. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 13 February 2016. Jane makes a will appointing John, her friend, as her executor. When Jane dies, her estate is worth approximately $600,000, including her residence and a substantial sum held in fixed term deposits. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 6 February 2016. Jane’s uncle, John, died just 10 days ago. John was a wealthy man who was a widower and had no children. Jane is a beneficiary under the terms of his will. John was in fact, the husband of Jane’s father’s late sister. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 30 January 2016. James attended a local night club and following an altercation at 1.30am, he is assaulted by two men, Bill and Bob. James lost consciousness and sustained amnesia, significant dental injuries and psychological issues. James was heavily intoxicated at the time and had no recollection of the incident. He was, however, able to rely on CCTV footage. […]
Hypotheticals by Manny Wood. Published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 19 December 2015. Manny Wood, our dedicated columnist and resident legal eagle has now attained specialist accreditation in wills and estates. We take a break from his regular column to speak to Manny about his career and what specialist accreditation means. […]