What do Trust deeds really do?

All trusts must have as a minimum, a Trustee, a beneficiary, Trust Property and the “Terms” of Trust on which the property (or asset) is held. This covers all types of trusts including “family trusts”, unit trusts in which each party holds a fixed interest in the income or capital and Self Managed Superannuation Funds, in which each member holds a “member benefits account” as a separate portion of the assets of the trust set aside for retirement. In each case the written terms of the trust are recorded in a signed document called a “Deed” by the person who settles the trust by providing the initial property of the trust (usually $ 10.00). The trustee accepts the appointment to act and the Principal or “Appointor” accepts the terms giving them the power to remove or appoint the Trustee. The precise wording of the deed is the basis for interpreting all of the powers of the trustee to distribute income and capital as well as how the trust will be managed, such as buying property or shares, selling, borrowing and final distributions at the end. The terms of the trust must be expressed with certainty and clarity, so the trustee knows to what extent they are authorised to do and the beneficiaries know when and how they can receive income or capital payments. It also governs what happens when you die and how you can allocate for tax purposes. If there are no clear rules then the ATO and any financial institution will use their position to limit what a trustee can do, often to the disadvantage of the beneficiaries.

Who keeps the trust deed and what if it is lost?

Usual practice requires at least three copies are created one for the client, one for the accountant and one for the legal advisor. This helps reduce the risk the original is lost.  If no Deed can be located this creates difficulty in providing evidence of the terms of trust. If there is a dispute between beneficiaries, then this can cause major legal problems. A practical solution might be to locate a true copy of the deed and execute a new Deed of Confirmation to ensure there is a clear record of the terms. It is crucial to consider if an application to a Supreme Court to approve the terms is required so there is no doubt in the eyes of the Commissioner.

If there is no document on which to base a confirmation this will often lead to a dispute between family members. Often this is a major problem for estate planning and administration, because it is not clear who the successor in control of the trust assets should be. The question arises whether the assets held by the trust should fall back into the estate of the person who originally contributed to the trust or continue to be held on trust for a wider class of individuals. The legal costs of resolving these questions can be significant and the result very uncertain.

Practical Solutions

You must do absolutely everything possible to locate the Deed. Find out the details of any lawyer, accountant, property conveyancer or financial planner that ever advised the family. Very often we track down a person who has been incorrectly named as controller or “Appointor” and get them to sign a Deed of Amendment to rectify the control. The cheapest and easiest solution is to locate any copy of the signed Deed and any variations that have occurred since the start. It is sometimes possible to get clear evidence of the version of the Trust deed used by the advisor at that time and use that as a basis for an application to confirm the terms. Evidence for payment of the deed to date it and letters received at the time assist. It is of no help to just pretend the deed is not lost as eventually there will be a day on which a bank, a court or an estate will require it to be produced. Deal with the issue now while you are able to follow up all possible leads and sources so if a replacement deed is at all possible to be confirmed, then it is done at a time when there are no beneficiaries fighting over an estate. It is also a major issue when dealing with the tax office especially if you own shares in the trust and want to allocate franking credits between beneficiaries for tax purposes. If you cannot prove the power to do so by the trustee based on the trust terms the Commissioner will take a view about which beneficiary is deemed to receive what proportion of income on which they are taxed.  The whole point of trusts is asset protection, the ability to invest collectively and the power to distribute in a way that saves tax. If you want a review of your trust deeds in the context of your estate plan please contact me at Tony.crilly@perspectivelaw.com or my direct line 07 3317 4312.

As our “digital identities” become more predominant, planning around your “digital assets” is becoming increasingly important to consider as part of the estate planning process. One of many reasons to undertake careful estate planning, is to clarify your wishes and reduce the burden on the executors. It is important to specify who is legally entitled to administer your digital assets both within your Will and any other account by way of legacy nomination.

Social Media & accounts

Social media sites such as Facebook and Apple now allow their users to add legacy contacts to enable them limited control over the user’s account after their passing, once a death certificate is provided via their support page. If an executor or another individual was appointed to administer the user’s digital assets, taking advantage of such a function will simplify the process of administering the deceased social media account.

The ability to appoint a legacy contact is a new function, one that is not offered by a majority of websites. On websites such as LinkedIn or Twitter, a support page may simply assist you in deactivating the deceased account after providing a copy of a death certificate.

Passwords

In the more likely circumstance where websites have no method to appoint a legacy contact or even be deactivated externally, the only option would be to provide the administrator with the digital keys through passwords. Any person who is leaving a series of accounts, with different usernames and passwords, would be recommended to have a digital register, in a form of a spreadsheet or a table to be kept alongside their wills.

Given the frequency in which new online accounts are often created and passwords being changed, such digital registers should also be updated frequently. Alternatively, leaving behind the access to a  password manager, such as Lastpass can serve as an easier way for your administrator to access your full list of up-to-date passwords. 

Photos, videos and Cryptocurrency

A database of media files can be stored on online cloud servers or for larger databases, offline on hard drives or computers. The same is the case for cryptocurrency, which can be stored online for active trading, or offline in physical drives for added security.

In either case, a digital register should leave detailed information on how to access these accounts, via passwords in online accounts or instructions on where to locate and how to access a physical database of digital assets. The ways to leave your legacy on digital platforms are evolving, but it remains the best way to prepare by closely tracking and updating each of your digital assets individually.

For any questions regarding estate planning and your digital assets, please contact Jake Cho at jake.cho@perspectivelaw.com or call him today on 07 3317 4312.

There are many ways a Willmaker can equalise the benefits for their children under their Will.

This situation often arises where one or more of the adult children have received payments of money or property from their parents during their lifetime, to the exclusion of their other children. The parents want to ensure that on their death, all children receive an equal share of their estate.

1. Hotchpot

One option is to insert a ‘hotchpot’ clause under the parents’ Will. The effect of this is that advancements received from parents are taken as part satisfaction of a respective child’s share in the estate. This ensures that all of the children receive an equal share in the estate.  Below is a simple example:

Simon and Lisa are married and have three children: Matthew, Stuart, Monique and Catherine. Simon and Lisa pay Monique $250,000 to assist with purchasing her first home. They want this money to be taken into ‘hotchpot’ when the survivor of them passes, so that each child receives an equal share of the residue of their estate.

Monique’s share is reduced by $250,000.

This approach is not perfect. If there is no record of the payment to Monique, it may give rise to a dispute during the estate administration, which can result in litigation.  One approach to mitigate the risk of this happening is to have Simon, Lisa and Monique sign a Deed of Loan to record the advance of $250,000.

It needs to be clear within the terms of the Will, whether the unpaid amount of the advancement is to be repaid on the death of the parent, or is otherwise forgiven and forms part of the estate for the purposes of equalising the benefits between the children.

The equalisation provision best applies to distributions of cash, rather than distributions of assets, such as real estate or shares. If a beneficiary receives a transfer of real estate, and later disposes of the asset, then CGT may be applicable. Depending on their respective assessable income, the amount of tax payable will vary between the beneficiaries. This, in theory, reduces the value of the gift.

• Specific Gifts

Another option is for the parents to make specific gifts to the other children, equivalent to the value of the advancement.   The gifts are in addition to the child’s share of the residue of the estate.  The effect is that those children who did not benefit during the lifetime of their parents, will receive more from the estate.

Using the example above, ultimately, Matthew, Stuart and Catherine would each $250,000 in addition to their share of the residue of the estate.

The Willmaker will need to consider whether inflation is to be considered with respect to the value of the specific gifts.

At Perspective Law, we would be pleased to assist you with all your estate planning needs. Please contact our office on 07 3839 7555 for all your queries, or alternatively you can email Elizabeth Ulrick at elizabeth.ulrick@perspectivelaw.com, or any other member of our estate planning team today.