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Powers of attorney: the document you need before you need it

• estate planning • nw-original • power of attorney • topic-016

Powers of attorney: the document you need before you need it

An enduring power of attorney is the only document that lets someone you trust manage your money and your care if you ever can't — and you can only sign one while you're still well enough not to need it. Here's how it works, what changes state to state, and what happens to your family if you don't have one.

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Noel in the News: you can work and still get the age pension

• age pension • Centrelink • Noel in the News • nw-curated • source-noel-news • work bonus

Noel in the News: you can work and still get the age pension

A reader's letter in Noel Whittaker's September newsletter reveals a common and costly assumption: that working rules you out of the age pension. It doesn't — and the Work Bonus is why.

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Your will doesn't control your super. Here's what does

• binding nomination • estate planning • nw-original • superannuation • topic-015

Your will doesn't control your super. Here's what does

Superannuation sits outside your estate, so your will has no say over it — the trustee of your fund decides, unless you've filled in the right form. Here's how binding, non-binding and reversionary nominations differ, who you're allowed to name, and the tax that catches adult children out.

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Noel in the News: the "widow's tax" hiding in the new CGT rules

• capital gains tax • couples • estate planning • Noel in the News • nw-curated • source-noel-news

Noel in the News: the "widow's tax" hiding in the new CGT rules

Noel Whittaker's September newsletter names a flaw in the new capital gains tax rules: as drafted, death itself can trigger a tax bill on gains nobody has cashed in. Here's what it means for couples with a long-held property or share portfolio.

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No will at 50? What actually happens to your family

• estate planning • nw-original • topic-014 • wills

No will at 50? What actually happens to your family

Dying without a will does not mean your money disappears — it means a formula written into state law decides who gets it, and that formula knows nothing about your family. Here is what really happens, and why your super may not be covered by your will at all.

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