Having a baby means so many new decisions and responsibilities from choosing a name to registering for MCC membership. But inevitably issues such as Wills, superannuation, life insurance and trusts also need to be considered.
If couple have now been married or planning their marriage, then they also need to plan to update their wills to ensure they reflect the change in their circumstances.
When we buy property or other assets we generally give little or no thought to the legal ownership of that asset. Often we are swept away “in the moment” and don’t consider the various options or legal implications that may arise in the future. No thinks to ask the question, have I purchased in the correct legal structure? Is there a better way?
When a person dies, their assets are transferred to their legal personal representative (LPR) or are acquired by a surviving joint tenant, where the deceased owned those assets as joint tenants with another person. As there is a change of ownership a capital gains tax (CGT) event arises.
In my previous article I mentioned that if you inherit a dwelling and later sell or otherwise dispose of it, you may be exempt from capital gains tax (CGT), depending on when the deceased acquired the property, when they died and whether the property has been used to produce income (such as rent).
Since the introduction of capital gains tax in September 1985 if you inherit a dwelling or other property and later sell or otherwise dispose of it, capital gains tax may apply to either the deceased estate or yourself as beneficiary.
This checklist will help you manage the Australian tax affairs of someone who has died. If the deceased person's tax affairs included carrying on a business, you may need to seek further advice from Paris Financial otherwise these are the steps to follow when someone has died:
You would have heard the saying: “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.
This statement is usually used to encourage people who are losing enthusiasm for a task or goal. But it also reflects the way many people feel about estate planning.