Does my will control my superannuation?

Generally, no. Superannuation sits outside your will unless your death benefit is deliberately directed to your estate. Without a valid nomination in place, the super fund trustee decides who receives your benefit. Making sure your nominations are valid, current and consistent with your will is one of the most important — and most overlooked — parts of estate planning.

What is a binding death benefit nomination (BDBN)?

A binding death benefit nomination is a written direction to your super fund trustee specifying who must receive your death benefit. If it is valid and current, the trustee must follow it. Some nominations lapse (commonly every three years) and must be renewed; others are non-lapsing depending on the fund. We check validity and keep nominations aligned with your intentions as part of ongoing advice.

Who can receive my super when I die?

Super law only allows death benefits to be paid directly to certain people: your spouse, your children, someone financially dependent on you, or someone in an interdependency relationship with you — or to your legal personal representative, which routes the benefit through your estate and your will. Who you choose affects both control and tax.

Will my beneficiaries pay tax on my super?

It depends on who receives it. Broadly, a spouse or other tax dependant generally receives a super death benefit tax-free, while adult children may pay tax on the taxable component. The rules are detailed, and structuring decided in advance — including how benefits are directed and through which vehicle — can materially change the after-tax outcome. We model this as part of the advice.

Do you prepare wills and powers of attorney?

No — wills, powers of attorney and testamentary trusts are legal documents and are drafted by your solicitor. Our role is the financial side: nominations, beneficiary structures, pension reversions and tax planning. We coordinate directly with your solicitor so the legal documents and the financial structures tell the same story.

When should I review my estate plan?

At any major life event — marriage, separation or divorce, a death in the family, the sale of a business, new grandchildren, or moving your super into pension phase — and periodically as part of your annual review. Nominations in particular can lapse or fall out of step with your intentions without anyone noticing.

Estate & Succession Planning · Sydney & Brisbane · Australia-Wide

Wealth that passes to the right hands, the right way.

Estate and succession planning makes sure what you have built transfers to the people you intend — tax-effectively and without dispute. Your will does not automatically control your super, which for many Australians is their largest asset outside the home. We structure death benefit nominations, pension reversions and beneficiary arrangements, and coordinate with your solicitor so the legal documents and the financial structures agree.

Book Your Free Discovery Call → Call +61 2 8526 5889

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"It has been our absolute pleasure to have Troy as our financial advisor for approximately 11 years. Troy has consistently demonstrated diligence, professionalism, and a wealth of knowledge."

— Karoly & Ecaterina Josa · Long-term clients, Verified

Self-Licensed AFSL SSA™ Designated Master of Fin. Planning Fee for Service

The Challenge

The most common estate planning mistake: assuming the will covers everything.

"Doesn’t my will handle my super?"

No — super sits outside your will unless it is deliberately directed there. Without a valid nomination, the fund trustee decides who receives your benefit. Most people have never checked what theirs says.

"Will my kids pay tax on it?"

Who receives a super death benefit changes how it is taxed. A spouse generally receives it tax-free; adult children may pay tax on part of it. Structure decided in advance can materially change what actually arrives.

"Our family isn’t simple"

Second marriages, blended families, a family business, children with different needs. These are exactly the situations where a will alone is not a plan — and where disputes start when structures are left vague.

What You Get

Financial structures that agree with the legal documents.

We handle the financial architecture of your estate plan and coordinate directly with your solicitor, so nothing is left pointing in different directions.

Death Benefit Nominations

Binding, non-lapsing and reversionary options across your super and pension accounts — checked for validity, kept current, and aligned with your intentions.

Death Benefits Tax Planning

Structuring who receives what, and through which vehicle, so benefits pass to your beneficiaries as tax-effectively as the rules allow.

Pension Reversion Planning

Whether your retirement income stream should automatically continue to your spouse — worked through alongside transfer balance cap consequences before it matters.

Beneficiary & Ownership Structuring

Asset ownership, account structures and beneficiary arrangements reviewed together, so the estate plan works as one system rather than a set of disconnected documents.

Intergenerational Wealth Transfer

Planning the handover to the next generation deliberately — timing, structure and communication — rather than leaving it to be sorted out under pressure.

Solicitor Coordination

Wills, powers of attorney and testamentary trusts are drafted by your solicitor. We work alongside them so the financial structures and nominations match what the documents say.

How It Works

Three steps to a strategy you understand and believe in.

Discovery Call

A free, no-obligation 30-minute conversation about where you are and where you want to be. Zoom, phone, or in person in Barangaroo or Brisbane CBD.

Free · No commitment · Completely confidential

Your Personal Strategy

We model your numbers, build your strategy, and present it in plain language you can actually understand — not jargon-filled documents.

Typically 2–3 weeks · Statement of Advice included

Implementation & Ongoing Care

We execute the plan, manage your portfolio, and review it every year as your life changes — so you stay on track without worrying.

Annual reviews · Direct access to Troy always

Your Adviser

Self-licensed by design. Fee-for-service by choice.

Troy Gudgeon established Wealth Designers Advisory under its own Australian Financial Services Licence specifically to remove the conflicts that come with bank or institutionally-owned advisory groups. No dealer group, no product quotas — the only agenda at the table is yours.

20+ years of financial planning experience across every market cycle
Master of Financial Planning — Kaplan Professional
SMSF Specialist Advisor™ (SSA™) designated
Member, Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA)
Self-licensed AFSL 562647 — no bank ownership, no third-party ties
Offices in Barangaroo (Sydney) and Brisbane CBD — advises nationally via Zoom

Book a Free Call with Troy →

Troy Gudgeon

Founding Director & Principal Adviser
MFinPlan · SSA™ · FAAA Member

Wealth Designers Advisory Pty Ltd
ABN 26 650 483 300 · AFSL 562647

Common Questions

Answers about estate & succession planning.

Not finding your question here? The Discovery Call is the right place to ask anything — no obligation.

Book a Free Call →

Does my will control my superannuation?

Generally, no. Superannuation sits outside your will unless your death benefit is deliberately directed to your estate. Without a valid nomination in place, the super fund trustee decides who receives your benefit. Making sure your nominations are valid, current and consistent with your will is one of the most important — and most overlooked — parts of estate planning.
What is a binding death benefit nomination (BDBN)?

A binding death benefit nomination is a written direction to your super fund trustee specifying who must receive your death benefit. If it is valid and current, the trustee must follow it. Some nominations lapse (commonly every three years) and must be renewed; others are non-lapsing depending on the fund. We check validity and keep nominations aligned with your intentions as part of ongoing advice.
Who can receive my super when I die?

Super law only allows death benefits to be paid directly to certain people: your spouse, your children, someone financially dependent on you, or someone in an interdependency relationship with you — or to your legal personal representative, which routes the benefit through your estate and your will. Who you choose affects both control and tax.
Will my beneficiaries pay tax on my super?

It depends on who receives it. Broadly, a spouse or other tax dependant generally receives a super death benefit tax-free, while adult children may pay tax on the taxable component. The rules are detailed, and structuring decided in advance — including how benefits are directed and through which vehicle — can materially change the after-tax outcome. We model this as part of the advice.
Do you prepare wills and powers of attorney?

No — wills, powers of attorney and testamentary trusts are legal documents and are drafted by your solicitor. Our role is the financial side: nominations, beneficiary structures, pension reversions and tax planning. We coordinate directly with your solicitor so the legal documents and the financial structures tell the same story.
When should I review my estate plan?

At any major life event — marriage, separation or divorce, a death in the family, the sale of a business, new grandchildren, or moving your super into pension phase — and periodically as part of your annual review. Nominations in particular can lapse or fall out of step with your intentions without anyone noticing.