Your Will Can’t Wait: The Tragic Case Of A Mother Who Took Too Long
“We are such stuff / As dreams are made on, and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep.” (Shakespeare) We aren’t comfortable thinking about our mortality, but death comes to all of us and it is our loved ones who will suffer if we don’t make plans to look after them whilst we […]
Don’t just leave your loved ones assets – leave them a legacy!
“A Legacy Letter is a way for you to share your values, life lessons, cherished memories, hopes for your family’s future, and anything else that is really important to you.” Estate planning is key to ensuring that your loved ones are properly catered for after you are gone. Ideally go beyond the practical and financial […]
Don’t Accidentally Disqualify Your Chosen Heirs from Inheriting!
“Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate.” (Ambrose Bierce) Your will (“Last Will and Testament”) will always be the keystone of your estate planning, and a recent High Court decision sounds yet another warning to beware the “do your own will” concept. By not having his will drawn by a […]
Why Life Partners Still Need Cohabitation Agreements and Wills
“Census data of 2016 reveals that approximately 3.2 million South Africans cohabit outside of marriage and that this number is increasing steadily.” (Extract from judgment below) What happens if your life partner dies without leaving you anything in their will (“Last Will and Testament”)? Do you have the same protections as married spouses do? A […]
Don’t Let Delays in the Master’s Office Leave Your Family in Financial Distress
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago” (Warren Buffett) Whilst the first and most important step in your estate planning is always to have in place a professionally drawn and regularly updated will (“Last Will and Testament”), there is another aspect which demands your urgent attention, particularly […]
Estate Planning And Wills: A Checklist To Protect Your Family
“Don’t fear death, plan for it” (Anon) Amazingly, here we are in the middle of a deadly pandemic yet still some 70% – 80% of working South Africans are said to have no will in place. That’s crazy for two reasons – Without a will your loved ones are exposed When you die your grieving […]
Be Prepared for The Cost of Dying
No one wants to contemplate their own passing, but the reality is that sooner or later it is inevitable, and particularly in these dangerous times we need always to be prepared. The loss of a loved one is always distressing. It can however be compounded by the challenge of dealing with their assets. Few people […]
Life Partners – You Still Need a Will and a Cohabitation Agreement!
A recent High Court decision has been widely viewed as an important victory for the rights of unmarried opposite-sex life partners. Until now, if one such partner died intestate (without making a will), the other could not inherit on the same basis as could a married spouse. Nor could the surviving life partner claim maintenance […]
Is Your Will Valid?
Sooner or later we must leave our families to face life without us, and of course these are particularly dangerous times for us all. Make sure that your own affairs are in order now – A valid will is the only sure way to protect your loved ones after you are gone. If you have […]