Angie Bowden • Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) Southern Queensland

Angie Bowden

Rural Financial Counsellor

Supporting Bulloo, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie and Blackall-Tambo areas

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Field Notes

In our July 2026 email Newsletter, Angie provides valuable information about estate planning versus succession planning and, explains why a primary producer needs both. Read her full article below and subscribe to our monthly newsletter here if you have not already. It’s a ripper read!

Estate vs succession planning – Why you need both

Estate planning and succession planning are closely linked but they are not the same. Farm business owners need both.

Estate planning focuses on what happens to your assets when you pass away or lose the capacity to make decisions. It includes having an up to date will, Enduring Power of Attorney and other legal documents to make sure your wishes are carried out. This is incredibly important when high-value assets such as farms are involved.

Succession planning is about the future of the farm business. It considers who will manage the business, how ownership may transition over time to the next generation and how family members can work together to achieve a fair outcome.

Having one without the other can lead to farming families facing uncertainty, conflict, as well as financial and legal challenges. This can become very costly both financially and emotionally. Not to mention the significant strain on family relationships.

Starting these conversations early with your family allows time to discuss goals, concerns and expectations, which can help prevent misunderstandings and identify any issues that need to be resolved.

It’s vital to obtain professional legal, accounting and financial advice throughout the process. Carrying out your estate planning and working through your succession planning will both protect your family and your farm business for future generations.

Rural Financial Counsellors can provide preliminary support with succession planning. They cannot provide advice but can support you to start the process and connect you with the right professionals.

Don’t wait until a crisis occurs, start the planning process early and obtain the right professional support. Get the ball rolling.

About Angie Bowden

Angie is a Rural Financial Counsellor based in Charleville. She supports South West Queensland primary producers in Bulloo, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie and Blackall-Tambo areas.

Angie commenced as a Rural Financial Counsellor at Charleville in 2010 following the millennium drought. She works with beef, sheep and wool producers providing assistance and options to sustain their businesses through the adversities of drought, bushfires, floods and to adapt, change or retire from the industry in the long term.

With extensive experience in the role, Angie has in-depth knowledge of the various assistance programs as well as agribusiness, farm debt mediation and negotiation.

She is a member of Financial Counsellors Association of Queensland and holds a Bachelor of Business, Diploma of Community Services (Financial Counselling) and various certificates in Small Business Management, Workplace Training, Mental Health First Aid and Negotiation. Angie is a Justice of the Peace Qualified and won the South West NRM 2016 Mulga Award for Exceptional Support Services to South West Queensland and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International in 2017 in recognition of her exemplary work in community service and helping those in need.

Angie works alongside a team of Financial Counsellors located throughout Southern Queensland, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.