Wills and Estate Planning on the Central Coast
Comprehensive legal services for you, your family, your friends, your business and your community’s not-for-profit groups
Estate planning and preparing your Will is about living your best life for now and for the ones that you love when you pass away. If you have assets and liabilities -Estate planning is a must.
It is risky to avoid Estate planning because it leaves the fate of your finances – and most importantly, the welfare of your minor children – up to others not of your choosing if you pass away (for example: the Courts).
Appointing an executor/trustee is an important decision because it is the person/s who will action your requests as outlined in your Will. This involves locating and collecting all the assets, paying off all debts associated with the Estate and distributing what’s left to the proper beneficiaries named in your Will.
If you are an executor/trustee of somebody’s Will and need help to understand the legal process, please call Goldrick Farrell Mullan Lawyers.
Your Will should also make living and financial provision for minor children (those under 18) who legally cannot do this for themselves.
Preparing a Will not only ensures your personal wishes are clear and legally binding, it also protects your loved ones from the potential stress and costly legal disputes at a very difficult time in their lives. Once your Will and Estate planning is done, you can relax and get on with life because you can feel confident that your affairs are in order.
If you are an executer/trustee of somebody’s Will and need to obtain a grant of probate, please call us.
There’s more to Estate Planning than completing a Will
Estate planning involves more than just the establishment of a Will because it involves formalising various legal documents. These documents detail how you would like to be looked after financially and medically if something happens to you and you’re unable to make your own decisions in life.
A) Power of Attorney
This document allows another person to “stand in your shoes” to conduct your legal and financial affairs, if you are physically or intellectually unable to do this for yourself.
This may involve dealing with financial institutions or State and Federal Government Departments, such as Centrelink.
A Power of Attorney (General or Enduring) has limits, and an Attorney cannot do “whatever they like”.
B) Appointment of Enduring Guardian
This document enables another person to make “substituted health and lifestyle decisions” for you, if, because of a disability, you are partially or totalling unable to make such decisions for yourself.
You can also give guidelines to family and/or loved ones as to your end of life wishes, such as not being kept alive using artificial machinery.
In all these matters, Goldrick Farrell Mullan Lawyers can give advice on the drafting of documents, and pitfalls to avoid.
TESTIMONIALS
Property Purchase
Michael Daly went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly and rescued me from my own ignorance. A true champion! Thank you so much.
Our thanks to you and your supportive staff for your tireless efforts in assisting us through this difficult time.
Michael has been my family Solicitor for 30 years. My family and I have used his services in a number of ways – Sale and purchase of properties; Purchase and sale of businesses; Preparation of Wills and Powers of Attorney; Successful recovery of unpaid monies on sale of a car by a family member. I have always found Michael to be very thorough, knowledgeable and very comfortable to deal with. I highly value the services he continues to provide.
