As a young adult, I once opened a fortune cookie telling me “There will never be enough time to finish everything on the list”. I took it as a dare to prove Confucious wrong and set about making lists entitled “Things To Do Before You Die” with a well held belief and dogged determination that I would tick. Every. Last. Thing. Off. That. List. At first these lists were filled with grand, adventurous plans; hang […]
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At the time of her dad’s death Danette O’Brien was working as an Executive Assistant, supporting a CEO and Board and she’d done this type of work for 40 years. Never for a moment did she think planning a funeral that truly honoured her fun, cheeky but sometimes ‘challenging’ dad would be the catalyst to a career change. A couple of weeks after her dad’s funeral, Danette had the sudden realisation that she felt called
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When completing the paperwork for a death certificate an innocent mistake, oversight, or incorrect information can have bigger consequences than you may think. When someone dies in South Australia, the funeral director will normally register their death with Births, Deaths and Marriages on behalf of the person’s family or friends. Deaths need to be registered within seven days of burial or cremation. And applications can take up to eight weeks to be processed. As a
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Writing a great eulogy or memorial speech can feel overwhelming and full of pressure. But before you launch into a CV that covers birth to death and everything in between we got together with a professional writer to share a few tips on writing a big hearted, memorable speech or eulogy. “Stories are the most powerful way to share values, connections and the personality of your person…” There’s nothing quite like the feeling of leaving
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As Your Estate Lawyer I’m passionate about helping you avoid estate disputes, avoid avoidable problems, solve unavoidable problems and ultimately help your family stay friends after you die, by playing the game “What will life REALLY look like after you die – for you WHOLE family.” Sometimes that means having hard conversations with you about who you want to reward and who you’re trying to punish in your will. And sometimes it means helping you
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Fiona Shilton has been awarded the SA Woman Emerging Business Woman award for 2022 in recognition for her work changing the conversation around death, wills, and estate planning and creating a legal practice that focuses on kindness, care, and bravery. “We can only live our lives as fully as possible even if it is based on a mistake.” When Jill Lathlean died in 1985 someone awesome added this epitaph to her grave marker. I don’t
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When it comes to including collectibles in your estate plan, not all collections are created equal. Whilst your vintage Kewpie dolls, hand painted tea cups, expansive tool, or antique kettle collection may be deeply sentimental, more financially valuable collectibles such as artwork, precious metals, stamps and coins can be some of the toughest assets to pass on to your beneficiaries. “I’ve never met anyone yet who isn’t deeply emotionally connected to their collections.” Over the
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Brendan died of a massive heart attack in May 2021. He was 51 years old. He left behind adult children, an ex-wife and his partner of 4-years Cherie. This is Cherie’s story. “Just when I didn’t think I would find true love and a forever partner Brendan walked out the door towards me and I knew he was it.” Just two weeks before he died, Brendan woke me and asked me to call an ambulance.
If you love someone. Let everyone know. Read More »