While more Australians are aware of the importance of having a will, simply buying a do-it-yourself will kit from a newsagent and filling it out yourself can cause more problems than it solves.
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The Facebook profile of a woman who recently died from cancer is among the resources used by a court to determine who should carry out her final wishes…

Acclaimed Australian author Colleen McCullough left her entire estate to her husband Ric Robinson, the NSW Supreme Court has ruled at the end of a costly and bitter dispute over her multimillion-dollar estate…

A court has said yes today to a Brisbane woman who has been fighting for the right to have a child using her dead boyfriend’s sperm. It’s a vexed issue for some and this ruling is being described as landmark…

The Selths believe their testamentary trust strategy will make it more transparent and equitable for all beneficiaries. “We had a will but it didn’t embrace everything we wanted. We knew where we wanted the money to go but we wanted to be sure the beneficiaries were our kids but that they were protected in the case of divorce.”..

Former spouse, who engaged in a relentless campaign of false allegations of physical and sexual abuse after the divorce, makes claim on late ex-husband’s substantial estate 25 years after separation. Did she get anything?..

For chartered accountant Kylie Parker, who is about the embark on her third marriage, making sure there is a record of what is brought into the union is top-of-mind…

The death of a loved one can be hard enough to deal with without the extra worry about the cost of carrying out their wishes. Key decisions — including the executor of the will, whether to die at home or whether you are buried among the trees or cremated — all involve a financial burden and much easier made when family members are not bereaved…

A report by the Elder Abuse Prevention Unit, shows a 20 per cent increase in reported cases of financial abuse from 2014-15 to 2015-16. The report also found that more than three-quarters of perpetrators reported between 2015 and 2016 were related to the victims…

Half of all Australians die without a will, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, meaning the law decides where your assets go, potentially favouring relatives you resent.

Making a will is vital, but can cost from $150 to thousands of dollars, if you use professional channels. Here are some tips on how to do it yourself, with intense attention to detail…