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Estate planning is easier to approach when you understand the basics. These resources are written for South Australians who want clear, plain-language information before they pick up the phone, or simply want to understand more about how the law applies to their situation.
They are not a substitute for legal advice. Every person’s circumstances are different, and the right outcome for you depends on details that no article or guide can anticipate. What these resources can do is give you a foundation, so that when you do speak with our team, you arrive informed and ready.
Articles
Our team has published 190 articles covering estate planning, wills, probate, inheritance claims, powers of attorney, superannuation, and succession law in South Australia. They range from straightforward explanations of common questions to detailed discussions of specific legal scenarios.
Browse by topic or search for the question that is on your mind. If you cannot find what you are looking for, or if reading has raised more questions than it has answered, our team is ready to talk.
Information sheets
Our team has produced six plain-language information sheets covering the areas of estate planning that matter most. Each one is written to be read by a person, not a lawyer.
Estate Planning: The Will
What a Will covers, who can make one, what happens without one, and when to review.
Enduring Power of Attorney (Financial)
Why every adult needs one, who you can appoint, and what happens if you do not have one in place.
Advance Care Directives
How to put your chosen people in control of your medical and personal care decisions if you lose capacity.
Superannuation & Death Benefits
Why your Will does not cover your superannuation, and how to make sure your largest asset goes where you intend.
Understanding Testamentary Trust Wills
How a testamentary trust Will can protect an inheritance from divorce, bankruptcy, and unnecessary tax.
Executors’ Duties in a Deceased Estate
What being named as an executor actually requires, and where the obligations and risks lie.
Estate Planning for the Business Owner
A key concern for many families while preparing their Will and Testamentary documents is the discussion surrounding how they might ensure the needs of their children will be met in the event of their unexpected death or illness. Indeed, this is a critical discussion that must happen, particularly when the clients have very young children. […]
Greg Welden, Guest Presenter at National Legal Conferences
In line with our mission to become the most respected, innovative and distinguished estate planning firm in Adelaide, we dedicate considerable time to both extending our knowledge and presenting this information, as leaders, to the broader legal community. Greg Welden was in Melbourne last week delivering a paper via ‘Live-video-Webinar’ in conjunction with the Television […]
Celebrity Wills Blog Series: (2) Heath Ledger
Updating your Will can be just as (possibly more) important than ensuring you have one in the first place. Celebrities are not immune from this either, take for example the ‘out of date’ Will of Heath Ledger. Everyone knows they should have a Will. Whether everyone actually has one is a different thing altogether. Whether […]
Real People, Real Law, Communicated Simply: What Makes Us Different
At Welden & Coluccio Lawyers we pride ourselves in having created, what we affectionately refer to as “a home-baked cookie kind of business”. I appreciate that this may seem like a long stretch. However, suspend your disbelief long enough to put aside your image of a lawyer (wig and gown clad if you wish), stooped […]
Who Will Look After My Children if I Die?
From the moment our children are conceived the worrying starts. Perhaps there is no greater fear than the one of, who will look after my children if I should die unexpectedly and prematurely? When a spouse dies during a marriage or committed relationship, the surviving spouse will ordinarily assume the sole parenting role. While occurring […]
There is no such thing as a ‘free’ Will’
While watching the footy one Sunday afternoon, an advertisement for an insurance company came on the television. In addition to selling insurance, the company told viewers that if they signed up within the next month they would receive, free of charge, a Will Kit. I imagine that a lot of people watching the advertisement thought […]
Can I leave someone out of my Will?
A recent judgement out of the Supreme Court of South Australia sends a timely reminder to all Will Makers, that trying to successfully leave someone out of your Will is still a very difficult and tricky proposition. For many years now a myth has been perpetuated in many circles relating to the misconception that leaving […]
Selling an Investment Property: Know Your Legal Obligations
While property has the capacity to generate an income for the investor, there may come a time when you, the investor, wish to cash the investment in and move on. What happens then, if the property you wish to sell is currently tenanted? More specifically, what are your legal obligations to the tenant in these […]
Digital Assets: Your Online Life After Death
With rapid advancements in technology there is the increased likelihood that you have created a digital presence and online identity. As time goes by many of our ‘possessions’ are becoming digitised, creating a new category of personal property that being the ‘digital asset’. What is a digital asset? A digital asset is anything you may […]
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