Wills, estate planning and inheritance

Yes, if you want to decide who inherits. Without a valid will, the Intestate Succession Act decides, and it may not match your wishes. A will also lets you name guardians for your children and an executor you trust.

Before anything is shared out, an estate must pay its debts, executor’s fees, and sometimes capital gains tax and estate duty. Estate duty is 20% on the value above R3.5 million, and 25% on any part of that above R30 million. If there is not enough cash, your family may have to sell things like the family home. An estate check shows whether there is a gap.

Not always. A trust can protect money for your children or someone who cannot manage it themselves, but it costs money to run and has its own tax rules. We will tell you whether one makes sense for you.

Register the death, find the will, and report the estate to the Master of the High Court within 14 days. Do not pay out money or sell assets until an executor is appointed. Our step-by-step guide walks you through it, and we can help.

Very little, at first. Put it somewhere safe and easy to reach while you think. There is no rush. Then make a plan that fits your own goals, not somebody else’s.

Yes. We help families with estate administration, working with attorney partners where the law requires an attorney. We keep the family up to date as the estate is wound up.