Die Without One, Lose Control of Everything

Most people assume their will just carries on no matter what happens in life. It doesn't.

Getting remarried cancels it outright. And if you die before making a new one, the law decides who gets what, not you.

In this episode, Brendan Reidy, branch manager at Perpetual Guardian, takes us inside the estate planning conversations he has every day: sometimes calm, sometimes in the middle of a dispute that's already gone too far.

We cover:

• Why marriage revokes a will but divorce doesn't

• What actually happens when someone dies intestate (without a will), and how long it can take to sort out

• The real story of two brothers — a surgeon and an electrician — and the family conversation that headed off a painful surprise

• Why the costliest fights in estates are so often about sentimental items, not money

• How to challenge a will if you've been left out, and how long you have to do it

• What testamentary capacity means, and why it matters for elderly parents making or changing a will

If you've been putting off sorting your own will, or your parents', this conversation is the nudge to finally have that talk.

If this episode has you thinking about a parent's decision-making and whether it's as sharp as it used to be, Brightly's Baseline+ assessment gives your family a clear, evidence-based picture of cognitive health, so the hard conversations happen with facts, not guesswork. Learn more at agebrightly.co.nz.