Family Trusts - A Plain English Guide for Australian Families of Average Means

This is a plain English manual for ordinary Australian families and small business proprietors. It will help them to decide whether to set up a family trust, to understand the advantages and disadvantages of this useful legal concept and to discuss the issues more intelligently with their professional advisers.

All aspects of setting up and running a family trust are dealt with in this book, including investment aspects and the taxation and social security rules affecting trusts and their beneficiaries. It discusses discretionary and unitised trusts, as well as trust deeds and the roles of the settlor and the trustees. The use of trusts for children with an intellectual disability, philanthropic foundations and the winding up of trusts are also covered.
The fourth edition of Family Trusts has been greatly expanded. In addition to the updated real-life case studies that help to flesh out this important subject, there is new material on the qualifications needed by trustees, hybrid trusts, the risks of borrowing by trustees, non-resident beneficiaries, resettlements, minutes of trustee meetings, protecting assets against creditors, bankruptcy and divorce.


Nick Renton is consulting actuary, professional writer and author of Learn More About Family Trusts and Negative Gearing.