Do you need a will?
“A man who dies without a will has lawyers for his heirs” (Anon) It’s natural not to want to make plans for our own mortality, but we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to do exactly that, and to do it without delay. Why? Sooner or later we all die. No one knows […]
Wills and Estates: Cost of dying rises with Master’s fees increase
If you are inheriting from someone who passed away on or after 1 January 2018, don’t blame the estate’s executor for one substantially-increased cost you may notice – Master’s Office fees. They are calculated on the value of the deceased estate and were long overdue for an increase, going up sharply from the old maximum […]
Do you need an “Advance Directive” or a “Living Will”?
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome” (Isaac Asimov) If you don’t want to be kept artificially alive – without your consent and perhaps in pain and distress – long after your medical condition becomes hopeless, you need to communicate your decision now to the doctors, hospitals and loved ones who […]
7 Myths about making a Will
“Let’s choose executors and talk of wills” (Shakespeare) If you haven’t made your will yet, get it done now. Why is that so important and how should you go about it? To answer that let’s debunk a few of the more pervasive myths and misconceptions around those questions – “I’m too young to need a will” […]
JOU TESTAMENT EN ‘N PRAKTIESE PLAN VIR JOU NAASBESTAANDES
“As die hemel val, is ons almal dood.” Afrikaanse spreekwoord. Of jy nou jonk of jonk van gees is, gesond is of grondpad geloop het, ‘n lewensmaat het of jou eie potjie krap, ‘n testament moet jy hê. Daarsonder kom jy intestaat tot sterwe. Dit beteken jy besluit nie self hoe jou boedel vererf nie. […]
YOUR WILL AND A PRACTICAL PLAN FOR YOUR LOVED ONES
“Where there’s a will, I want to be in it” (Anon) Whether you are young or old, healthy or ill, single or attached, you should have a Will. Without one, you die “intestate”, which means you forfeit your right to decide who inherits what, who administers and distributes your estate, and who looks after your […]
WRITE YOUR WILL TODAY! FOUR GOOD REASONS TO DO IT NOW
“We used to terrorize our babysitters when I was little, except for my grandfather because he used to read to us from his will” (comic Janine Ditullio) Whether you are young or old, healthy or ailing, wealthy or not-so-wealthy, married or single – you must have a will. To Will or not to Will? Dying […]
YOUR HOUSE IN A FAMILY TRUST: WHAT HAPPENS TO IT ON DIVORCE?
“….. trust assets held by a trustee in trust, do not form part of the personal property of such trustee as a matter of law” (extract from judgment below) What happens if your home is registered in the name of a trust and you get divorced? Do you get a share of the house’s value? […]
ATTACKING A TRUST (AND DEFENDING IT)
“Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack” (Sun Tzu) It’s an all-too-common scenario. When you try to recover your money from a debtor, you find that all his/her assets (including the luxury home, holiday house and ocean-going yacht) are held by a family or business trust. Creditors: Follow the Assets […]
LIVING WILLS: WHAT ARE THEY AND DO YOU NEED ONE?
“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow” (Euripides) We will all die. We have limited control over what will eventually kill us and when, but there is something that we can do now, whilst we are still physically and mentally capable of doing so, to express our wishes as to […]