Is your family wealth behind a fence or inside a castle? Join Grant Abbott's free live briefing.

The problem

Many families rely on a basic Will, joint ownership and a trust set up for tax.

It can feel like protection. Whether it holds up depends on the facts, and on who tests it.

Assets held in your own name are usually the most exposed, whether to creditors, to claims on your estate, or to a relationship breakdown. Here's what that can look like:

• Family provision claims. In some states, certain family members can ask a court for provision from an estate if they believe they weren't adequately provided for. That can include spouses, children and, in some cases, other dependants. In NSW, a court can also treat property that passed outside the estate, such as a home held as joint tenants, as "notional estate" and use it to meet a claim. These claims are decided on the facts. The rules differ from state to state.
• Divorce and separation. If your child's relationship ends, a gift or inheritance they received can be counted in the property the court considers. A court may give your child credit for it, but there are no guarantees. How you help your children, and how it's documented, can matter.
• Business and personal debts. A company's debts are normally the company's. But a personal guarantee, a mortgage over your home, a director penalty notice, or bankruptcy can put personal assets, including the family home, at risk. How your business and your assets are set up matters.
• Well-meant planning that leaves gaps. Template Wills, super paid into the estate, joint ownership treated as safety. These are exactly the gaps disputes tend to expose.

You've probably worked hard for years to build what your family has. The question isn't whether you care about protecting it. It's whether what you've put in place would hold up if someone challenged it.

The shift: castles, not fences

Grant's approach is to plan ahead while you're alive, so more of what matters sits in structures built for the long-term control of the family's wealth, and your estate is less likely to be the centre of a dispute. No structure can promise that a claim won't be made, or that it will fail. That's why the details of your own situation, and good advice, matter.

You don't have to take that on trust. That's what this webinar is for: so you can see how it works, understand the questions worth asking, and decide for yourself what to do next.

What you get as a Castle member (free)

• A monthly one-hour updates webinar on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm Sydney time. The first one is Wednesday 4 November 2026.
• Grant's free blog: his articles on family wealth.
• Joining details for each webinar. We'll email your joining details before the session.

Free to join. Free to attend. Castle members also hear about paid memberships, courses and consults Grant offers, and can unsubscribe at any time.

What happens next (3 simple steps)

1. Click "Become a free Castle member." Enter your name and email, and tick the box to join The Castle.
2. Check your email. We'll email your joining details before the session.
3. Join Grant on Wednesday 4 November at 5:00 pm AEDT (2:00 pm AWST in Perth), using the joining details we email you.

If something doesn't work, email grant@grantabbott.com.

Timing

The webinar is on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 5:00 pm AEDT. After this one, webinars run on the first Wednesday of each month.

This session will be recorded. A replay will be made available to Castle members for 30 days. The recording may include your name, voice and questions if you use the chat or microphone. Leave your camera and microphone off if you'd rather not appear. If you don't want your question recorded, email it to grant@grantabbott.com instead.