Wills and inheritance can be highly emotional subjects, particularly as family structures become more complicated. The rules and practices around bequests are not as simple as you might think and the way your beneficiaries and the courts may view the division of spoils after your death may not always align with your expectations. The Succession Act NSW makes some significant... Read more
Contrary to popular belief, business names, company names, domain names and trademarks all have very different levels of protection. In this article, we identify some of the common misconceptions.Neither business names nor company names grant any proprietary (ownership) rights like those granted by a trademark registration. By the same token, neither business names, company names, nor domain names, offer any... Read more
In recent weeks the media has been informing us that margin lending has jumped for the first time in three years, with investors trying to benefit from the latest sharemarket rally. Banks are reporting twice as much interest in new margin loans compared to last year. In the margin lending business, financiers take on baskets of stocks as collateral against... Read more
Tax Alert 1 Loss ‘Carry Back’ Provisions: Progress Update – The Government’s proposed loss ‘carry back’ measure was introduced into Parliament in February.These provisions seek to allow ‘carry back’ of losses in the current financial year to offset prior year profits, to obtain a refund of tax previously paid.The intention of this measure is to assist corporate businesses facing pressures from... Read more
Mosman locals would already know Angela from her many years running Boyd Legal in Mosman. What is your area of legal expertise? Being a solicitor for 20 years has given me great breadth of experience but I focus now on complex property matters and Wills and Estate Plans. Most common mistake in Wills? Don’t assume that your loved ones will... Read more
House prices continued to improve in the last months of 2012, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Preliminary estimates show the price index for established houses in the eight capital cities rose 1.6% in the December quarter 2012. This was the strongest quarterly growth in almost three years. In the final quarter of 2012,... Read more
At its meeting today the Reserve Bank Board announced interest rates would remain unchanged at 3.0%. The last rate cut took place in December, when a 25 basis points reduction took the cash rate down to the near 50 year low set by the Reserve Bank during the GFC in 2009. Patricia Williams is a credit representative (400458) of BLSSA... Read more
Any person in Australia who has ever applied for finance of any kind will have a credit report in their name. With the rules around credit reports changing, do you know what yours looks like and whether it is correct?Credit Report Changes A new scheme that has just been approved by the government allows for even greater detail to appear... Read more
In response to our clients’ needs, Edney Ryan Wealth Management is pleased to announce that we are now able to off share brokerage facilities. We can now buy and sell shares on behalf of our clients. We provide this service at substantially reduced brokerage rates, to save you money. Our Research and Advice We have access to independent research from... Read more
As a company director, do you fully understand the obligations which relate to your duties? Breaches of director’s duties can lead to personal liability including civil and criminal penalties and liability for damages. Serious offences can lead to imprisonment. Most people would be aware of the fiduciary duties for company directors under the Corporations Act, including a duty to act... Read more