Short answer: Yes.

And this is only one reason why: If you die without a Will saying who is to inherit your estate, then you are leaving it up to the State to decide – without a will your estate is deemed to be intestate and the succession laws made by the government of the relevant State/Territory (as amended from time to time) will dictate who inherits and who administers your estate. Depending on your personal circumstances at the time of your death, you may be leaving behind uncertainty, confusion and financial insecurity for your family in their time of grief.

A Will is a legal document where YOU have the power to express who YOU want to appoint to administer your estate to ensure your estate is distributed to who YOU want to inherit and how. A Will can help your family to avoid disputes and a correctly drawn up Will can provide certainty and alleviate stress at a time when your family are vulnerable and grieving.

We would be pleased to advise you in relation to your estate planning needs, so that you can make well-informed decisions when preparing your Will to best protect your family and loved ones and leave behind a legacy of certainty and security for them.

Of course, you can attempt to do your own Will, however without specialist knowledge in the technical area of succession law, your will may be interpreted in an entirely different way than you intended, or you could, unknowingly, be setting up your estate to litigation.

Don’t risk it ….. feel free to contact Ingrid Boon at Camden Valley Lawyers if you would like more information, or would like to review your current Will, or want specific advice tailored to your own personal circumstances.

Elder law is a broad focus of our laws and how they affect the lives of our senior citizens and potentially their families and carers. Maintaining our independence, health and financial security as we age is vitally important.

As we age, we should think about our future and what steps we can take to secure our property, our way of life and independence, having regard to your own personal circumstances. You might ask:

• what if I lose capacity
• what if I need help managing my bank account
• what is a granny flat arrangement
• what if I have to go into a nursing home
• how can I protect myself if I lose capacity
• what is a power of attorney
• do I need a Will
• how do I make end of life decisions
• what happens to my property when I die
• what is elder abuse
• what can my guardian do

Without a crystal ball to see what lies ahead, it is worth considering what steps you can take to protect yourself in the future particularly in circumstances where you might lose the capacity to do things for yourself.

We would be pleased to advise you, so that you can make well-informed decisions now with a view to safeguarding your future.

Feel free to contact Ingrid Boon at Camden Valley Lawyers if you would like more information or advice for your personal circumstances.