Estate planning expert

Marie Brownell

Top strategies to prevent inheritance conflicts in blended families
Marie Brownell avatarMarie Brownell
Estate planning
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If you die without a will, a court will appoint someone to administer your estate. Source: Getty
Money

Wills and Executors: How to take the pain out of probate

Wills and Executors: How to take the pain out of probate

The probate process after someone dies can be lengthy and fraught with pitfalls, but the right planning can assist, writes Marie Brownell.
Family disputes over wills are all too common. Source: Getty
Estate planning

Have the last word: How to avoid family will disputes

Have the last word: How to avoid family will disputes

The division of assets after someone's passing often sadly leads to family conflict, but potential issues can be avoided with the right planning, explains lawyer Marie Brownell.
Unlike other types of trust, which must come to an end within 80 years, charitable trusts can exist forever. Source: Getty
Estate planning

Trusts: What are they and how can they benefit you?

Trusts: What are they and how can they benefit you?

Establishing a trust as part of your estate plan can bring numerous benefits, from protecting assets and reducing tax to helping your favourite charities, explains Marie Brownell.
If you are new to Australia and have no close connections to someone who can act as the executor of your estate, you can choose to appoint a professional practitioner, such as a lawyer or a licensed trustee company. Source: Getty
End-of-life planning

Appointing an overseas executor of your will? Here’s what you need to know

Appointing an overseas executor of your will? Here’s what you need to know

While many Aussies have friends and family overseas, nominating a foreign executor to your will can be fraught with potential issues, Marie Brownell explains.
In Australia, family members are asked to provide consent to organ donation before it can proceed. Source: Getty
Estate planning

Want to help save lives? It’s easier than you’d think! Here’s how…

Want to help save lives? It’s easier than you’d think! Here’s how…

There's a real need for more Aussies to say ‘yes’ to organ donation. Marie Brownell outlines the steps to take - and, no, it doesn't involve your driver's licence.
Don't want your estate to crash and burn after you're gone? Choose the right POA to take care of it. Source: Getty.
Estate planning

Avoiding disaster: How to choose the right power of attorney

Avoiding disaster: How to choose the right power of attorney

We look at some of the common mistakes involving POAs and how you can avoid them.

About Marie Brownell

Marie is Equity Trustees’ National Manager of Estate Planning. Prior to joining the team, Marie worked in private practice and for Australia’s largest trustee companies, working exclusively in the area of wills, estates and trusts. With two decades of experience in administering and advising clients on estates and trusts matters including a decade of drafting estate plans to meet all types of circumstances, there are few situations Marie hasn’t come across – the curious and interesting, the challenging and worrying and the most complex. She can find a way through it all. Marie works directly with risk advisers, financial planners, accountants and individuals in providing expert, tailored advice on all aspects of estate planning. Marie was admitted as a solicitor in 2004 and in 2009 became a New South Wales Law Society Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates Law. Since that time, Marie has lectured at University of Western Sydney in the subject Planning for Retirement as part of the postgraduate Masters degree in Financial Planning. Marie also lectures at the College of Law in the subjects Complex Issues in Estate Administration, Foundations of Estate Planning, and Estate Planning Capstone as part of the Masters of Applied Law (Wills and Estates).