A shocking report on The Project left many Australians questioning what happens to their money after they die, how does it cover death benefits? Is it easy to claim the fund?. The Project’s report reveals that super funds in Australia routinely delay death benefit payments to grieving families – sometimes for over 500 days – this shows the painful fact that administrative systems often fail us when we need them most.
Cathy Clark, for example, spent over a year chasing two different super companies for her brother’s benefits after he died suddenly from cancer. “We just wanted to grieve,” she told The Project, “but this was being thrown in our face all the time without any closure.”
And how much did she get? A mere $28.99 to be split between three beneficiaries.
The System Is Not Working – Yet
The review from ASIC’s is concerning, only about 48% death benefit claims were paid within three months. The slowest fund only managed to process 8% of requests in those three months. This does not include Australian Super and Cbus (the largest funds currently being sued by the watchdog for delays).
Mary Delahunty, CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, said in an apology: ““I’m really sorry. We haven’t really managed to get our processes up to scratch, but we have, over the last 12 months, really made quite an effort to improve that service.”
Xavier O’Halloran from Super Consumers Australia put it plainly: “At the moment, there’s no real protection for people without any kind of mandatory standards.”
There Is Other End Of Life Planning Option That Is More Clear And Safe
While people struggle with super funds because of their paperwork, misplaced documents, and people deal with unanswered phone calls, other approaches to end-of-life planning has a whole different picture of this.
The Living Legacy Tree option, where people can turn ashes into beautiful trees, never puts their client’s families through this kind of administrative nightmare. Why? Because they’ve sorted everything beforehand.
Around 70% of Living Legacy Tree’s planters are “pre-planners” – people who’ve already selected their memorial trees, paid a one-time fee, visit and reflect in the gardens regularly with their family. When the time comes, their ashes are carefully transformed into nutrients that the soil and tree love like potassium and nitrogen. This creates a beautiful touchpoint for future generations to enjoy. And also in some location like Wellington Dam, the trees that people become into create homes and protect endangered species like the native Quokka and Black Cockatoo.
A Living Legacy Tree package includes ongoing tree care and maintenance, without any future cost, in perpetuity.
How does the perpetuity care of Living Legacy Trees work? 20% of funds from every legacy tree sold is transferred to an independent funds manager that accumulates the funds and invests them into low risk, sustainable investments. Those funds accumulate and once all trees are sold there are sufficient funds from the interest only to pay a full landscaping team for ongoing care and maintenance and protection of the property overall.
The contrast between these options couldn’t be clearer. One system leaves families like Kathy’s fighting bureaucracy while grieving. The other creates certainty while creating a beautiful peaceful sanctuary for families to gather and connect.
Living Legacy Trees Are Available In
- Melbourne Victoria – Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens.
- Perth Western Australia – Wellington Dam Living Legacy Forest.
- Adelaide – Centennial Park.
- New South Wales – Macquarie Park
True Peace Of Mind Requires Beyond Financial Matters
Traditional end-of-life planning is mostly about money – who gets what, when, and how. But as The Project’s news shows, even if forms are all filled out properly, the system can still put us down.
If you want to really feel at ease, you need to think about more than just the money. It’s not just about “Will my family get my super?” but “What will they have to deal with?”
Funeral arrangements, burial decisions, and memorial planning often become heavy burdens to family members who are still grieving and who also might not know what you want. Making these decisions while grieving can make the emotional pain even worse by adding administrative stress.
The Living Legacy Tree offers an alternative path. It’s not like those superannuation nightmares you hear about from ASIC, where there’s always uncertainty.
For a fixed price starting at $7,000 – which is way less than traditional funerals – clients get a complete package: an advanced tree of their choice (explore trees here), patented ash treatment, a personalised ceremony for up to 15 people, a bronze plaque, and lifetime care of their tree within the protected gardens.
And there’s no paperwork headache. No year-long waits. And no compensation offers that might leave you feeling insulted.
“People come to us because they want to spare their families any future pain,” says Luke Roberts, the founder of Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens located in the serene Mornington Peninsula Melbourne. “People have seen what happens when arrangements are left until after death – the stress, the uncertainty, the burden. They don’t want that for their loved ones.”
Put The Control Back To Your Hands
The superannuation problem in Australia exposed by The Project shows how little control we sometimes have over our final arrangements. Despite government regulation requiring super contributions and heaps of cheerful advertising that promises financial security, the system can fall short and become really problematic when it matters most.
Pre-planning memorial arrangements such as Living Legacy Trees restores some of that control. It’s not just about money changing hands efficiently; it’s about creating meaningful experiences for those that we leave behind.
People often say how peaceful it is to walk among the trees in the Living Legacy Gardens. They like the fact that these living memorials represent choices made by people who wanted to leave beauty behind rather than “bureaucratic hassles”.
What End-Of-Life Planning Entails In Australia
End-of-life planning is all about making sure you’ve got all your financial and memorial arrangements sorted before it’s too late. Make sure your will is up to date. Check who’s the beneficiaries. Also think about planning your funeral in advance.
Most importantly, have a chat with your family about your wishes. As Joe Longo, the ASIC Chairman, said, you shouldn’t have to deal with a complicated process while you’re grieving.
The super fund scandal and other approaches, like Living Legacy Trees at Mornington Green, Wellington Dam and Or Centennial Park, have shown us that if we don’t fix the systems today, it’ll be our loved ones who’ll be carrying the burden tomorrow.
If you’re interested in exploring pre-planning options, Living Legacy’s gardens and forests are open for tours, so you can see for yourself how your legacy might grow.
Check out the locations here and get in touch.
Click Here for Mornington Green if you are in Melbourne and Victoria
Click Here for Wellington Dam if you are in Perth and Western Australia
While super funds are trying to sort out their messes, pre-planners at Living Legacy are busy making new memories, like picnicking beneath their chosen trees with the people they love – no admin headaches.
