Standard Trust Deeds

Some good basic legal documents can be purchased from http://www.lawcentral.com.au. Cleardocs also provides good documents.

Sebastian,

Basic means just that. They cover general situations. You will fill out information as you go along. However if you know nothing about trusts then I suggest you see an accountant and/or lawyer. These documents will be effective for most individuals but without knowing your personal circumstances it is difficult to know whether they would be effective for you.

As an example they offer a basic will kit. For most people this is great but if you want to create a testamatory trust to handle your estate on your death then that needs to be included in your will. A lot of basic will kits do not include that provision. So like I said it will fit most people but may not be the best for your situation.

Sebastian,

No problems. The world of companies and trusts are actually quite complex. Some people think they are simple but then add a family member later on and get caught out by the value shifting provisions. Nasty.

Ok. Let’s assume you want to create a family trust then http://www.lawcentral.com.au has a good family trust deed that you can use to take along to your accountant. He may make no changes to the document (in fact he probably won’t) but it will be a good start and I think it will set you back around $200-$300 from memory. Cleardocs may also have one as well. You want to discuss a discretionary trust (operating as a family trust) with your accountant.