What is Atestate?
By Drew Browne Senior Financial Advisor, Sapience Financial
The Definition of "Atestate"
Atestate /ay-tess-tate/ (adjective)
- Legal/Medical: The high-risk biological state of being alive and possessing assets, but lacking a valid testamentary document to protect them.
- Colloquial: Walking through life "Legacy-Naked."
- Usage: "The patient appears healthy, but their financial vitals show they are chronically Atestate."
See also: Denial, Procrastination, The Silent Void. Antonym: Protected.
We have a gaping hole in the English language, and it is costing Australian families their fortunes.
In the legal and financial world, we have a clear word for what happens when you die without a Will. You are 'Intestate.'
It comes from Latin (intestatus), and it is a messy, expensive, bureaucratic nightmare for the people you leave behind.
But 'Intestate' is a status triggered only by death.
What about right now? You are sitting there, reading this screen, drinking your coffee. You are very much alive. But, like 50% of Australians, you do not have a valid, up-to-date Will.
You aren't Intestate, because you aren't dead.
So, what are you?
The language had a gap. So, I fixed it. Its 'Atestate'.
Available Paperback & Hardcover coming 2026
ISBN: 978-0-9923107-3-8
