Sun Wills & Estates

Sun Wills & Estates We create estate plans to protect families and build a legacy of love.

Reading this on social media? Using your smartphone? Then this applies to you.We live in a digital world. Your digital f...
30/05/2026

Reading this on social media? Using your smartphone? Then this applies to you.

We live in a digital world. Your digital footprint needs to be considered both if you lose capacity and when you die. It’s something everyone should be planning for.

A “digital estate” is an umbrella term for your digital assets, devices, and accounts.

Virtually every adult in Australia has one.

Think you don’t have much to deal with? Check slide 3. It adds up quickly.

Planning for your digital estate takes time, strategy, and care.

This is not an area to DIY:
🌐 get advice on the right structure for your situation and wishes
🌐 include the right terms in your estate planning documents to enable access where possible
🌐 clearly document your intentions while protecting privacy and security

If you needed to, could you access your spouse’s digital accounts, devices, or files? What about a parent or sibling? And do you actually know what they would want done with their digital presence?

Save this post and start the conversation with your loved ones.

28/05/2026

If you die without a Will, there is still a plan for what happens to everything you own.

It’s just not *your* plan.

It’s a legal formula called the rules of intestacy, and it decides who receives your assets based on a fixed order set by law. Spouse, children, then other relatives. Not based on who you would have chosen, what your family needs, or what your situation looks like.

In some cases, it can mean:
• People you didn’t intend to benefit receive part of your estate
• Blended family dynamics don’t play out the way you expected
• The people you would have trusted to manage things are not automatically in charge
• Delays, added stress, and unnecessary complexity at an already difficult time

This is not unusual. It is the default position when no Will exists.

If you don’t set out your plan, the law will set one for you.

Estate administration is far more complex than most people realise.In practice, the Will is only one piece of a much lar...
24/05/2026

Estate administration is far more complex than most people realise.

In practice, the Will is only one piece of a much larger process.

After someone passes away, families are often left to:
• locate important documents
• identify assets and liabilities
• contact banks, super funds, insurers, and other institutions
• manage utilities, subscriptions, and ongoing accounts
• prove legal authority to act on behalf of the estate
• keep detailed records

Even simple estates involve a significant administrative workload.

And much of it happens at a time when people are already dealing with grief.

A key challenge is that information is rarely centralised. Details are often scattered across email accounts, paper files, banking platforms, and multiple storage locations across devices and cloud services.

On top of this, executors cannot simply step in immediately. They must first obtain the death certificate, then work through formal processes such as probate or letters of administration, while repeatedly verifying authority with different organisations.

This is why even straightforward estates often take a year or more to finalise. The delays are usually administrative, not legal.

When information is missing or hard to find, everything takes longer. More follow ups. More delays. More pressure on the people left behind.

This is why having clear, centralised information makes such a difference.
Not just a Will. A practical roadmap.

It is also why we include our Estate Workbook with our Will Value Packages. It’s designed from real experience working with estates and executors, with structured sections and prompts to help capture the information families need.

The goal is simple. Make things easier for the people you leave behind, at a time when they will need it most.

There’s been a lot of noise lately about Testamentary Trusts after the Federal Budget announcements.And understandably, ...
19/05/2026

There’s been a lot of noise lately about Testamentary Trusts after the Federal Budget announcements.

And understandably, many families are now wondering whether they still have a place in estate planning.

The short answer? Absolutely.

While the proposed changes may impact some tax outcomes in the future, the headlines don’t tell the full story.

For many families, the biggest benefits of a Testamentary Trust have never just been about tax.

They’re about:
• protecting inheritances in family law situations
• protecting vulnerable beneficiaries
• safeguarding children from financial immaturity
• protecting family wealth from business or creditor risk
• creating flexibility for future generations
Importantly, the proposed changes are also not law yet.

The current proposal is intended to commence from 1 July 2028, and there is still significant uncertainty around how the final legislation may look, including how certain beneficiaries and distributions may ultimately be treated.

One thing we do know is this: good estate planning should never be based on headlines alone.

Every family situation is different, and a well-structured estate plan is about balancing protection, flexibility, and long-term outcomes for the people you love most.

A young family. Two children. A growing asset base. Existing Wills already in place.Many young families already have Wil...
17/05/2026

A young family. Two children. A growing asset base. Existing Wills already in place.

Many young families already have Wills. The question is whether those Wills still reflect the level of protection the family needs today and whether they can adapt as those needs change over time.

In this case study, our clients had:
• young children
• a growing asset base
• superannuation and life insurance exceeding $1 million
• an existing estate plan prepared years earlier

On review, their children were set to inherit outright at 18, with no ongoing protective structure around the inheritance. That outcome did not align with what the clients ultimately wanted for their children’s long-term protection.

For these clients, preserving wealth for their children was a key priority.

We restructured the estate plan to incorporate a testamentary discretionary trust designed to provide greater long-term protection, flexibility, and control.

The clients already had documents in place. The revised structure aligned their estate plan with their long-term intentions for their children and assets.

[Names and identifying details changed for privacy. Shared with consent.]

Some people come to us during the hardest season of their life.Some clients are navigating illness, loss, burnout, or re...
12/05/2026

Some people come to us during the hardest season of their life.

Some clients are navigating illness, loss, burnout, or relationship breakdowns.

When everything already feels heavy, the last thing you need is a process that adds more stress, confusion, or overwhelm.

One of the biggest pieces of feedback we hear from clients is relief. Relief at how clear the process feels, relief at being supported through it, and relief at having space to ask questions and take their time without pressure.

A good estate plan matters. So does having someone guide you through the process with care 💜

10/05/2026

So much goes unseen. Early mornings, late nights, the remembering, the planning, the holding everything together so life keeps moving for everyone else.

The hardest, and somehow still the best, thing you’ve ever done.

Mums are the heartbeat of their home. They carry the rhythms, routines, and mental load behind everything running smoothly.

It’s easy for that to blend into the background when you’re in it every day. But step back for a moment and it becomes clear how much of a family’s life is held by one person.

If you suddenly weren’t here, it wouldn’t just be grief.
It would change every part of daily life.
From routines, to stability, to how your children move through the world.

In the middle of that, your family would still be trying to navigate their loss.

This is where planning matters. It doesn’t take away the loss, but it changes what surrounds it. It gives structure when everything feels unsteady. It means your family isn’t left trying to work out what you would have done, while also trying to cope with life without you.

To all the mums and mother figures, your work might not always get seen but it is always felt. You’re the reason your family’s world works the way it does.

Happy Mother’s Day.

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