Key Benefits and Risks of Setting up a Trust

A trust is a legal arrangement where ownership of property is transferred to trustees, who manage it for the general benefit of identified beneficiaries or to fulfil clearly defined objectives set out in the trust deed. Trusts fall into two main categories, depending on when they are created. An inter vivos trust is created during […]

Estate Planning in a Second Marriage: What a Will Alone Cannot Resolve

A second marriage introduces a layer of legal and financial complexity that most couples underestimate. When both parties bring children, assets, and, in many cases, prior divorce settlements into a new union, the standard estate planning question shifts from “who gets what?” to “what does the law say happens first?” The answer depends heavily on […]

Can AI Write Your Will? Here’s Why That’s a Gamble

Somewhere out there, someone is asking ChatGPT to “write me a will” the same way they’d ask it to write a birthday speech. It’s a reasonable instinct. AI is fast, free, and confident – three qualities that make it dangerously persuasive when the stakes are your entire estate. Here’s the twist, though: even South Africa’s […]

THE BENEFITS OF CREATING A TRUST

Trusts are well-known to facilitate effective estate planning and continuity planning strategies. That said, setting up a trust – whether an inter vivos (between the living) or a testamentary (created in a will) − should be carefully considered and not just implemented blindly. The difference between testamentary and inter vivos trusts A testamentary trust is […]

PLANNING YOUR ESTATE AS NEWLYWEDS

For newlyweds, one of the most important tasks to attend to is estate planning. The estate planning will depend on what the couple wants and what form of marriage they are in. It is therefore important to keep the following in mind when planning the years ahead together. Marriage in community of property There is […]

The benefits of creating a trust

Trusts are well-known to facilitate effective estate planning and continuity planning strategies. That said, setting up a trust – whether an inter vivos (between the living) or a testamentary (created in a will) − should be carefully considered and not just implemented blindly. The difference between testamentary and inter vivos trusts A testamentary trust is […]

WHAT IS THE COST OF MY ESTATE DUTY?

In terms of the stipulations of section 4 of the Estate Duty Act No 45 of 1955 certain deductions from the value of an estate are allowed in order to determine the final value of the estate which will be subject to estate duty. The following two rebates are the most well-known: Section 4(q) – […]

SHOULD I PLAN MY ESTATE AS A YOUNG ADULT?

It is very important for you to plan your estate, which could include a living Will, a last Will and a living trust. This can help families prepare for difficult times when you are no longer around to assist or advise them. Our lives get busier and more complicated by the day, so estate planning […]

SOME POINTERS FOR PLANNING YOUR ESTATE

The main aim of planning your estate is to ensure that as much of the accumulated wealth is utilised for your own benefit and for the maximum utilisation of dependents on your death. “Estate planning” has been defined as the process of creating and managing a programme that is designed to: Preserve, increase and protect […]