Friends, flatmates or de facto partners - and how to tell them apart

When it comes to romance and relationships, the emotional decision about who you think is your partner, may be very different to the legal decision about who is legally considered your de facto partner.

The questions about who may be a boyfriend or girlfriend and who is a de facto become important distinctions when it comes to super payouts, life insurance payouts and family law claims on your finances, investments and property interests.

Life Insurance and Super each have one thing in common...

If you don't legally decide today who you want to get your money tomorrow, someone else will make that decision for you - and you might not like the result.

Simply put, you can nominate in writing who you want to receive any future payout with a Beneficiary Nomination or Binding Death Nomination (depending upon what you choose).

The question every blended family wants answered is often

Does a child in a blended family lose their rights to an inheritance if their step-parent dies?

A Contractual Will Agreement might provide the answer to this difficult question.

Many blended Australian families wanting greater certainty in their estate planning choose to make a mirror Will with their spouse - effectively leaving everything to each other.

When should a business express a moral opinion?

A few years ago, I attended a conference for business owners discussing the importance of ethics and purpose in business.

Things were going great until someone stood up and asked ‘that’ question. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Marriage Equality means in Australia you're now free to marry who you love.

If you're a same-sex couple, there might be some unique challenges to meet with your partner for life

While LGBTI people are as diverse as the rest of the population, their shared experience of discrimination creates many common financial issues.

• The problem isn't with LGBTI people, but with the attitudes and behaviours of the society around them.
• While this may not apply to everyone, there are many barriers to same-sex families who need detailed financial advice because most financial and insurance decisions are about family structures, relationships and priorities.

You can read more about the original eGuide here.

Advice Equality

7 Financial Decisions Same-Sex Newlyweds Need To Make

A financial guide specifically designed for the LGBTIQ+ Community

Sapience Financial and our specialty brand UnusualRisks celebrates the hard-won progress of the Australian LGBTIQ+ community.

• You're an inspiration.

Why we wrote this eGuide for You

Research shows LGBTIQ+ people have reduced access to health services and reduced access to relevant discrimination-free financial advice.

• While many financial advisers like to claim they ‘treat everyone the same’, this usually means they treat everyone as heterosexual.
• Now while a lack of diversity may not always indicate a problem, it does suggest some perspectives might be missing.
• Members of the broader LGBTIQ+ community do not need special treatment, but they do need equal access to relevant, high-quality financial advice tailored to their unique needs and goals, judgment and discrimination-free.

Download our Free eGuide below

Our latest eGuide - 7 Financial Decisions Same-sex Newlyweds Need to Make - is our free gift to the LGBTIQ+ community.

When you're ready, get in touch for a chat

Get in touch for a confidential chat. We'd love to help you out.

Who can make emergency medical decisions for you when you can’t?

Most adults are presumed to have the mental capacity to give consent themselves.  But what happens when you can’t make decisions for yourself?

The person next in line to make decisions for you is referred to as the person responsible and it might not be your next of kin.

Equality and freedom from discrimination are fundamental human rights that belong to all people, regardless of who they love or how they identify

The road to anywhere meaningful does seem to take a while and this has been true for many in Australia's LGBT community.

Why you can’t leave your superannuation to your parents, even if you wanted to

Most people have some form of superannuation and it’s not long until the question gets asked, 'Who gets my Super if I die?'