Money

Planning & budgeting

Inheritance

Opinion

Noel Whittaker Money columnist September 23, 2025 — 11.41am

The Murdochs made headlines when they settled their family battle recently, but you don’t need to be a billionaire to have trouble with siblings. Money and inheritance can bring out tensions in the best of families, and those fights can be exhausting and destructive.

As Donal Griffin, Sydney estate lawyer at Legacy Law and trust family adviser, often reminds me, one of the big flashpoints is the discretionary family trust. They work well for a couple, but once the next generation comes along things get tricky. Imagine being told in your 50s that you now have to run a trust with your brothers and sisters – it’s no surprise sparks fly.

The Murdochs’ Nevada hearing, details

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