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25.01.2022 The best way to ensure that your Estate is managed as per your intent after your death is to have a Will. Sure, a text message worked in this instance, but a nice clear Will is a better option. With our online Wills taking only ten minutes to complete, they are nearly as quick as a text message!

25.01.2022 Mode Legal have a network of professionals across Australia who provide our online Will product as an add on service for their clients. Are you a professional who would like to add an additional income stream to your business whilst providing an important service to your clients? Contact us for more information.

25.01.2022 We get asked all the time, I already have a Will, do I need to get another one? If so, when? You need to change your Will if you enter a de facto relationship or get married. Marriage cancels an existing Will. For example, If you have remarried and have children and your previous Will left your Estate to them, the marriage voids your existing Will and you would die intestate. The law would assign your Estate to your spouse. In the case of where you have re-married and your ch...ildren are adults, this will create quite a ruckus. You should also change your Will if your separate from your spouse or get divorced. If you dont change your Will and you left your Estate in your Will to your now ex-spouse, your ex-spouse is still the beneficiary when you die. Im sure they will be delighted, the rest of your family not so much. You should also consider updating your Will when you retire, or if there are major changes in your family and asset structure or testamentary wishes. You do not need to change your Will due to a change of address.

25.01.2022 There is widespread misunderstanding of what constitutes assets that make up an Estate. Your superannuation is a non-estate asset and therefore does not automatically pass in accordance with your Will. This is particularly important to understand if you do not intend for your next of kin to receive your death benefits, such as where you have re-partnered and want your children to be beneficiaries. You can ensure that your superannuation benefits do pass in accordance with you...r Will by executing a Binding Death Nomination form in favour of your Executor. You can usually find these forms on the website of your superannuation fund. You need to be aware that these nominations often lapse every three years and need to be updated. A handy tip to ensure that you dont get caught out when the nomination lapses is to set a reminder on your calendar for a couple of weeks prior to the lapse date to alert you to submit a new form to your fund.

22.01.2022 Have you recently moved house? You dont have to update your Will because youve moved house, but do ensure that your loved ones know where you have secured it at your new house. It is also a good idea to read through your Will and make any changes or updates that are necessary.

22.01.2022 One of the objections we kept hearing as we were developing our online Wills was "I dont have a Will because I am not sure who to go to". If this is your block when it comes to getting a Will, we are your solution. Mode Legal Wills have been drafted by a leading Australian Estate Planning specialist. We are online and readily accessible from the comfort of your home (or office) at any time that suits you. Avoid the pitfall of visiting a lawyer who is using an outdated generic cut and paste document, our Wills are customised, comprehensive and take only ten minutes of your time from starting to the finished product arriving in your inbox.

22.01.2022 Is your Will up to date? Whats that, you dont have a Will? Lucky we bumped into each other, we know a great place you can get a Will, best of all you can complete it at home in less than ten minutes.

22.01.2022 Christmas is when we buy thoughtful gifts for our loved ones. You might not have thought about giving a Will, but is there anything more thoughtful than Estate management? (er, well yes OK maybe there is, but hush). So if you have loved ones who dont have Wills, maybe you should buy them one from Mode Legal. They can complete their Will done over a nice glass of bubbles after Christmas lunch and then relax for the rest of time knowing that they have ticked prepare Will off their list of things to do. There is no better gift than that, right?

21.01.2022 Generally speaking, you have the right to dispose of your property as you see fit. However, the Court does have the power to intervene if an eligible person (usually, your spouse or children) makes a claim against your estate and the Court is convinced that you did not give them adequate provision. What might lead to such a scenario? Perhaps you wrote your Will many years ago leaving your Estate equally to your two children. But your poor health saw one child step up and nurs...e you to the detriment of their own financial future. So when the Will is read and your Estate is split equally between your two children, your youngest child may decide to contest your Will based on their perception that they deserve more than their sibling to compensate for what they gave up to care for you. What is considered adequate provision in the circumstances depends on issues such as what contributions they made towards you in your lifetime, what financial need they have, the size of your estate and the competing claims of others. The moral of the story? Make a Will, but revise it regularly and give consideration as to whether or not equal distribution is appropriate.

18.01.2022 The statistics tell us that more than 50% of adults havent made a Will. There are several reasons people dont make Wills and, aside from the dismissive reason of "Im too young for a Will", the number one reason seems to be that it is too hard. How fortunate for the 50% of you who do not have a Will that Mode Legal have an online Will process that allows you to create a quality Will in less than ten minutes from the comfort of your living room! Get your Will today, and be part of the 50% of people who have prioritised protecting their assets with a Will, because it doesnt have to be too hard with Mode Legal.

16.01.2022 So you have made your Will and signed it, now what? There is no requirement to register or lodge your Will. All you need to do is place the Will in a clearly labelled envelope and file it with your other important documents and let your family know where they can find it. You can, although there is no requirement, make copies and provide them to a trusted relative or the executor of your Estate as named in your Will. Another option is to have it professionally stored. Mode Legal does offer this service to anyone who is interested, and you should still let your family know that this is where your Will is stored. Get in touch if this is a service you would like to use.

15.01.2022 Convenience does not compromise quality; Mode Legal Wills are not a Will kit, they are customised for you and are generated by our powerful online Will generator based on your decisions for your Estate. You can nominate multiple Executors, Guardians for your children, make specific gifts and make charitable donations. Our Wills include the option to select preservation ages for beneficiaries who are minors, allowing your assets to be held in Trust until the children are old ...enough to manage an inheritance windfall. We also offer the option to nominate a guardian if required. Our Wills also provide family wealth preservation benefits, as you can nominate revisionary gifts of residue to beneficiarys dependants in the event a beneficiary predeceases you. All in the time it takes to drink your morning coffee. So, what are you waiting for? We know youve been putting off making your Will; you could have this sorted without getting out of your chair. www.modelegal.com.au

15.01.2022 Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. For many people a deadline can force a rush of activity to complete the task. The problem with procrastinating about completing a Will is that you dont know what your deadline is. You might die tomorrow, ten years from now or fifty years from now. We all die though - sorry we do - and we all need a Will. The problem for many people is that getting a Will prepared takes time, time that wed rather... use for fun or for income earning. The typical Will scenario involves taking time to find a decent Lawyer who specialises in Wills. Then making an appointment (why do these people only work office hours, dont they know we have to work too?) taking the time to attend the appointment and talk through your wishes, they draft the Will, you go back to review and sign it - in work hours again. You might even have to go in again if you need to change something. What a hassle! No one enjoys that sort of effort which is why they dont prioritise getting a Will. Mode Legal came about because we recognised that being time poor and champion procrastinators is one of the reasons Australians dont make Wills. But our Wills are completed online, at a time that suits you and in the comfort of your own home (or at work, we promise not to tell your boss). It will take only ten minutes to generate your customised Will and it is delivered to you via email instantly. Doesnt that sound like a better way to sort out your Will?

15.01.2022 Some wise words from our Legal Director.

15.01.2022 "Im too young to write a Will," said pretty much everyone under the age of 40. We all think we are immortal when asked to plan for death and we put off writing Wills (sometimes until it is too late). So, even if you are young enough that you think the idea of a Will is laughable, here are five reasons you might like to write a Mode Legal Online Will today: 1.You own an animal - your Will allows you to make provision for a pet,... 2. Social media accounts - what do you want to have happen to your social media accounts if you die, leave directions in your WIll, 3. Give gifts to friends and family - make provision for leaving gifts to your friends who, without a Will from you stating how to distribute your Assets, wont receive anything from your Estate, 4. Prevent tying up your Estate in court - if you die without a Will (intestate) the court will decide how to distribute your assets, and that might not reflect your intentions, 5. You have received an inheritance - this is an asset that needs instruction upon your death. So there you go; even if you are young, carefree and immortal, a Will is still necessary. Lucky for you, Mode Legal Online Wills can be completed in under ten minutes from the comfort of your couch (or your bed even), no need to even put pants on and visit a Lawyer.

14.01.2022 Is there anything worse than filling in a form and then realising you made a mistake? Aside from dying with no Will of course? Well, realising that completing our online Wills is so easy that making a mistake is possible, we have now updated our process. Now if you notice you made a boo boo, such as forgetting to gift your golf clubs to your best mate or spelling your own childs name wrong (no really, it has happened), you can log back in and make corrections to your Will for six months after the initial date of completion. The updated version will be sent to you before anyone realises your mistake, winning! And, just like when you completed your Will in the first place, you can make the amendments in the comfort of your home, at any time that suits you, and in less than ten minutes. Genius, right?

13.01.2022 Happy 2018 everyone! Time for resolutions! Have you been meaning to sort out your Will for the last few years and still havent done it because it seems too hard? Well lucky you, we can help you sort your Will out in less than ten minutes from the comfort of the couch/beach towel/bed. Head over to www.modelegal.com.au and sort your Will out today and get at least one of your New Year Resolutions sorted out in the first days of the year. If only the eat healthy/lose weight/exercise more resolutions were so easy to achieve.

12.01.2022 A question that we are asked (with surprising frequency) is "do I need my own Will if I plan to leave my estate to the same people as my partner". The simple - and only answer - is YES! If you die and you dont have a Will, the law will consider you dying intestate and deal with your Estate in accordance with the law. That means that your Estate may not be distributed as you wanted, for example if you wanted to support a specific charity in your Will or give a prized possession to a loved one, the law cant know this and therefore make this distribution on your behalf. Not only that, what if you and your partner die together, that could get messy, fast. One Will per person people, this is not something you can go dutch with.

11.01.2022 I cant afford a Will. Really? Our response it How can you afford not to have a Will? Lets be honest, for the vast majority of us, we can find the cash for an expense if we really need to. If your child needed medical attention and you had to pay for it, youd find the money. If you could get front row seats for a once in a lifetime concert; wed get the money. It is the same with Wills; it isnt that you cant afford a Will, it is more that you dont recognise the value o...f a Will. A valid Will means that your Estate doesnt incur unnecessary fees and charges because you didnt leave a Will explaining your intention for your Estate. Telling your family what you want in the event of your death is not the same as having a Will and unfortunately the law will decide how to deal with your Estate, not your family. Perhaps of more importance, and something you cant place a dollar value on; without a Will, your loved ones face the burden of administration in sorting out your Estate. Instead of grieving, they are burdened with sorting out your affairs and dealing with any dispute - all because you decided that you didnt need a Will, despite all the evidence telling you that all adults do need a Will. If you wont get a Will for you, at least get one for the sake of your family.

10.01.2022 Have you been meaning to get a Will and have put it off because it seems like such a hassle? Mode Legal has taken the hassle out of getting a Will. There is no need to take time from work to attend the Lawyers office for lengthy appointments. Save time and sanity by completing your Will online in less than ten minutes. Our Wills are customised and have been prepared by an specialist Estate Planning lawyer and are delivered to your inbox instantaneously.

10.01.2022 Another messy Estate situation brought about by - yep, you guessed it - no Will! Dont put off getting yourself a quality Will, unless you have a crystal ball (and if you do, give me a call Id love the lottery numbers ;-) ) you dont know when your time is up and the date you need to have your Will in place by. Head to our website and get your Will sorted out now, it will take you less than ten minutes whilst you finish off your cup of tea sitting in the sun.

09.01.2022 Another example of why you must not only make a Will, but also ensure it is kept up to date. In this case a Will had been written but at a later date Daniel changed his marital status to defacto (which in the Military is done by application and recognised equally as a marriage) which then voided his existing Will. Upon his death, Daniels spouse then applied for his Superannuation benefits which was granted as she was his spouse. The family are arguing that the Will did not d...o as it was intended as his daughters did not get 100% of the Estate; this is not a deficit of the Will, but of the failure to ensure a new Will was drafted after he changed his legal relationship status that stated that he wanted his Estate to go to his daughters equally, and not to his new defacto spouse. Have you changed your relationship status? Have you updated your Will? Does you Will reflect your wishes for you Estate upon your death? Dont put it off, get a Will from Mode Legal today and complete it in the comfort of your own home in less than ten minutes.

09.01.2022 We will address some of our FAQs here on our FB page. One that has been cropping up is people wondering how our Wills differ from a Will pack since both are an at home Will option. A Will pack often leads to a Will that creates more problems than it solves for your estate as they can be very complicated to complete. We have found Will Packs to be very time consuming and tedious if you really want it to reflect your needs. By contrast, our Will portal asks you clear question...s and takes your answers and integrates them in to our Will document. Mode Legals online Will genuinely take less than ten minutes to complete and is emailed directly to you to sign. Each Will is customised based on the instruction provided. There is no need to cross out sections that dont apply to you, as only wording that applies to you is included in your Will. Our Wills really are setting a new standard. See more

09.01.2022 Todays FAQ is "do my partner and I have to have the same Wills"? In this instance the question related to if both partners must leave their estate identically. The answer is No. You may well have very similar ideas of how to leave your estate, such as leaving your estate to your children equally. However, you are not obliged to have the same Wills at all and this is very important when we are discussing this in the context of a blended family, of a second marriage with mature children, etc.

08.01.2022 An interesting scenario that has come up in the last day or so is the gifting of pets. Pets are considered to be property under Australian law and can therefore be gifted in a Will. You should be very clear about who the pet is and who you are gifting to. Whilst your family might verbally understand your intent, if there is any confusion from your Will you want to make sure you are as clear as possible in your instruction. Writing "I leave Tiddles to John" is not very clear. ...Who is Tiddles and who is John? We suggest that you gift a pet with as much specific detail as possible, for example "I gift my pet cat, Tiddles a black and white desexed male cat, microchip number xxxxxxxxx, to my nephew John Taylor". You could even print a photo of your pet and include their details as an attachment to your Will to completely make it clear which pet you are referring to. As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.

08.01.2022 "I'm too young to write a Will," said pretty much everyone under the age of 40. We all think we are immortal when asked to plan for death and we put off writing Wills (sometimes until it is too late). So, even if you are young enough that you think the idea of a Will is laughable, here are five reasons you might like to write a Mode Legal Online Will today: 1.You own an animal - your Will allows you to make provision for a pet,... 2. Social media accounts - what do you want to have happen to your social media accounts if you die, leave directions in your WIll, 3. Give gifts to friends and family - make provision for leaving gifts to your friends who, without a Will from you stating how to distribute your Assets, won't receive anything from your Estate, 4. Prevent tying up your Estate in court - if you die without a Will (intestate) the court will decide how to distribute your assets, and that might not reflect your intentions, 5. You have received an inheritance - this is an asset that needs instruction upon your death. So there you go; even if you are young, carefree and immortal, a Will is still necessary. Lucky for you, Mode Legal Online Wills can be completed in under ten minutes from the comfort of your couch (or your bed even), no need to even put pants on and visit a Lawyer.

08.01.2022 Great news on additional features to Wills this week: 1. Guardianship nominations are now included, 2. Free storage of the original validated Wills, and 3. Access to your Will for six months to make changes, upgrades and corrections free of charge.... We know some of you have been waiting for these features to be included before you prepared your Wills so we are really happy to be able to let you know that you dont need to wait any longer.

07.01.2022 Many people become confused by superannuation and how it is viewed as part of an Estate. Your superannuation is a non-estate asset and therefore does not automatically pass in accordance with your Will. So as to ensure that your superannuation benefits pass in accordance with your Will, you should execute a Binding Death Nomination form in favour of the Exector of your Estate. You can usually find these forms on the website of your superannuation fund. These nominations often lapse every three years and need to be updated. So as to ensure that yours doesnt lapse leaving your non estate assets unaccounted for, set a reminder in your calendar with an alert so you know to complete a new form before the old one lapses.

07.01.2022 We love this story about Francine McNiff who created a lasting legacy through the Will she left.

07.01.2022 Have you heard your friends talking about the hassle they had making their Will? First they had to find a lawyer who specialises in Wills, then book an appointment to discuss their Will, wait for the lawyer to draft the Will, another appointment to review the draft Will (probably during work hours so they had to take time from work to go to their appointment), if there were mistakes they needed another appointment to sign their Will. Argh! Who has time for that? This scenario is exactly why 6/10 Australians dont have a current Will. Mode Legal understand this and that is why we developed our online Will system; a powerful system that asks simple questions that you answer and uses that information to produce your high quality Will in less than ten minutes from the comfort of your home.

06.01.2022 Heres a story for you about Wills that we came across some months ago. This story strengthened our determination to make quality Wills accessible to everyone and ensure that our clients wouldnt face the issue of their Wills being drafted incorrectly and therefore not matching their intent. In this particular case, a couple in their 50s had a Will prepared by a Lawyer, at significant cost, ten years ago. Instead of the Estate being distributed equally to their three childre...n in the event of their deaths, the oldest child had been given the entire estate in one paragraph and in a subsequent paragraph all three children had been left the residue of the Estate i.e. if their older sister was alive at the time of the parents death then the younger children would not have received anything at all. Whilst the parents intent for their Will was clearly for equal distribution of the Estate, the way the Lawyer had drafted the Will, according to the law their Estate had been left to only their oldest child and to the younger children only if the oldest child had died before her parents. This couple have since updated their will with Mode Legal and now have a Will that reflects their wishes both as per their intent and according to the Law. Get your Will from Mode Legal and relax knowing that you have a quality Will that reflects your intent.

05.01.2022 "I dont need a Will, my family knows what to do with my Estate." We hear this so often. Unless you are a minor, the reality is; you absolutely do need a Will. Sure, your family knows that in the event that you die, you want your entire Estate to go to your kids, BUT if you die and dont have a Will then you havent stated who is your Executor (the person who will administer your estate). ... Have you thought about what happens if you and your kids die at the same time? Because, as horrible as this is to think about, it can happen. If you dont have a Will, and therefore havent appointed an Executor, the matter goes to court where an Executor will be assigned to your Estate. It might not be a member of your family; the court may decide to appoint someone else. There will be court fees for this; your Estate pays these. The appointed Executor (if not a family member) will have to be also have to be paid; your Estate pays these fees too. The Executor will have to research who your next of kin is, particularly if your children die at the same time as you, and determine who is eligible to receive your Estate (more money for fees for their services). Even if a family member is appointed as the Executor, they are entitled to claim expenses incurred in finalising your Estate. So, even if for no other reason than to ensure you appoint an Executor, make a Will! It might seem like an unnecessary expense, but we all die. We dont know when, we dont know how. But we can at least look after the ones we love by leaving instructions behind on how to distribute our assets.

05.01.2022 A big hello to all our new likers. We would like to get our name out to all your friends - who may be looking for a place to get a Will right now - so please share us on your timeline so they can find us. So many people either do not have a Will or their Will needs to be updated. Everyone seems to put this task off for one of four reasons: procrastination (or not making time to attend the office of a lawyer to get a Will), dont know who to go to for a Will, think they can...t afford a Will or think they dont need a Will. Mode Legal came about because we saw a need to address all of these excuses, developing a way to overcome them and ensure that all Australians can access a quality Will. Well address each of these Will excuses today. Stay tuned.

04.01.2022 Weve had some people buying their Wills and believing that they havent received their Will code. Without fail, the code has been sent, but has ended up in the Junk folder. If you have a similar issue, have a look in your Junk folder.

04.01.2022 Before you go making an inventory of your beloved possessions for inclusion in your Will, perhaps make sure your family actually want your stuff! If you have memorabilia, perhaps it might be better donated to a museum or to a specific collector rather than family who are not at all interested. You can nominate the worthy recipient in your Will in the specific gifts section of your Mode Legal online Will.

03.01.2022 The ABS website tells us that, in Australia, one person dies every 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Half of them wont have a Will. This means that their loved ones have to go through the Courts to sort out the Estate, adding an administrative burden to the grief they are already dealing with. Dont be that person. Think of your family; get a Mode Legal online Will. We dont want to be morbid, but based on the statistics; three people will die in the time it takes you to complete your Will. Ahem. www.modelegal.com.au

02.01.2022 We see interesting Wills everyday. Something that has come to light is husbands and wives leaving property belonging to their partner in their own Will. Such as "I leave my wifes jewelry to my daughter" or "I leave my husbands golf clubs to my brother." You cant list someone elses property in your Will, not even if you think they plan to leave it to you in the event of their own death. So remember, if you are leaving specific gifts in your Will, ensure it is only property that is yours.