Strategic Estate Planning: Navigating Tax, Family Conflict and Control - One Day Online Masterclass

Estate plans can quickly unravel when family dynamics shift, tax consequences are overlooked, or structures don’t stand up under legal scrutiny. Blended families, vulnerable beneficiaries, unpaid entitlements, and cross-border assets are just some of the factors that create hidden risks for advisers and their clients.

TEN The Education Network’s one-day online masterclass brings together leading estate planning practitioners to unpack the real-world challenges facing modern estate plans—and offer practical strategies to address them. You'll gain practical insights, real-world examples, and expert guidance to help you structure estate plans that hold up—across tax, family, and legal risks.

The Program

Morning Theme: Family Dynamics Shaping the Estate Plan

• Keeping it all in the Family…but which Family? Creative Estate Planning Solutions for Blended Families - Estate planning for blended families comes with additional complexities, particularly when navigating significant age gaps between spouses or children from former relationships. It is unsurprising therefore that many contested estate claims occur in the context of blended families when the life stages and needs of family members from different families of the testator differ. This session is designed to help you manage competing beneficiary interests in the estate plan of blended families.
   
• When Family Law and Estate Planning Collide - Planning with Both in Mind - the power of the family courts is significant and its reach wide. Understanding just how the family court deals with inheritances, binding financial agreements, interests in trusts and superannuation assets is absolutely critical for any estate planning practitioner to ensure estate planning structures are not inadvertently undone by family law litigation down the track.
   
• Structuring the Estate to Protect Vulnerable Beneficiaries - People come in all shapes and sizes and each with varying needs. For an estate planner, understanding the options available to protect vulnerable beneficiaries is central to providing a valuable estate planning service focused to the needs of your individual clients. There are many specific types of vulnerabilities family members may face and a range of additional supports they may require for their lifetime once the testator has passed. This session is designed to assist estate planners consider which vehicle may be suitable for specific clients.

Afternoon Theme:  Tax Aspects of Estate Planning

• More Than Just Division 7A: Exploring the Wider Implication of Loans and UPEs in the Estate Plan - Despite recent efforts by the ATO to clarify the issues, the treatment of inter-entity loans and unpaid present entitlements is still proving to be a big issue impacting estate plans. This session is designed to assist you to unpick the problem and understand what steps should and could be taken to minimise the risk of issues at the estate planning stage.
   
• Avoiding Tax Nasties in the Estate Plan - The process of estate planning can cover a number of different aspects and objectives. One of those should be how any potential tax issues are addressed. This session looks to identifying the tax issues that may require careful consideration when putting the plan into place to assist in avoiding any adverse tax consequences when the estate plan is put into practice.
   
• Calling Australia Home: The Many and Varied Definitions of Foreign Residency and How They Impact Estate Planning - It is well understood that it is important to determine whether or not an individual, corporation or trust is a foreign resident for tax purposes. What is less well understood is the extent to which the definition and test for foreign residency varies as between laws, and in the context of property transactions as between state and federal law. Knowing which definition to apply and understanding the potential impact of this on an estate plan is vital to ensure compliance with all relevant notification obligations and prevent unintended adverse financial consequences for the estate.