Wills, Trusts and Estates
Our Wills, Trusts and Estates services ensure that your assets are protected during your lifetime, while planning ahead to prepare for your survivors after your death. We also advise you whenever new rules and legislation necessitate changes in your affairs.
It is Benjamin Franklin’s often-quoted saying that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” which makes most people stop and think. Everyone should be aware that the only way that one’s heirs can legally wind up one’s estate in accordance with one’s own wishes is if that person leaves a Last Will and Testament. If you don’t, it is the laws of intestate succession which apply and these laws might have unintended consequences for your heirs.
Effective estate planning need not be complicated, although arranging it as early as possible is always advisable. We can advise you on how to make your estate as tax efficient as possible.
As executor of your Will, we undertake to properly manage and attend to the administration of your estate, and to settle your estate for your beneficiaries promptly and efficiently.
We have been looking after the last wishes of our clients for over 100 years – the majority of them coming through personal recommendations, or from beneficiaries themselves who have been so pleased with the service we have provided at such a difficult time.
With so many South Africans living overseas, or having spent time overseas during which they’ve acquired assets there, it’s worth considering if anyone in your will may be residing outside South Africa at the time of your death as exchange control regulations can prolong the distribution of your estate significantly. Therefore, part of your estate planning should be to give consideration to overseas beneficiaries, who may be required to register as emigrants with the South African Reserve Bank.
There is nothing stopping you from drafting a Will today. So contact us, and we can assist you!