EXPERIENCED DECEASED ESTATE LAWYERS IN JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN
– Estate planning attorneys, independent trustees and Executors –
WHAT IS ESTATE PLANNING?
Estate planning is a process that involves making decisions about what happens to your assets and property when you die. Estate planning can be complicated, but it’s also very important. Your estate plan should include instructions for where your assets go when you die (such as a will). It also includes other tools like trusts and beneficiary designations that help protect your loved ones from taxes or creditors after you’re gone. Estate planning also include the vital part of estate administration and how the deceased estate will be administered upon death.
ESTATE PLANNING SERVICES FROM JULIES ATTORNEYS
Julies Attorneys specialise in estate planning and the laws that govern the creating and drafting of legally binding wills, trusts and the winding up of deceased estates . Below are the specialised, primary areas of estate planning we will assist you with:
A deceased estate consists of the assets and debts of a deceased person. The process of managing and distributing these assets is called estate administration. Estate administration includes collecting the assets of the deceased person, paying off any debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the will of the deceased or in terms of the Wills Act of 1953 if the deceased died without leaving a valid will.
South Africans are free to include any provision in their wills, as long as it is not invalid, vague, in contradiction to the provisions of the Constitution or immoral. But one’s last wishes, should ideally be about more than just handing down the assets of the testator. Wills should ideally leave a legacy and a better life for the remaining loved ones. There are many cheap options for drawing up a will and passing down assets, but only good legal advice, will ensure that the futures of your loved ones are secured through a lasting legacy.
A trust is an arrangement whereby the property of the trust founder is placed under the control of the trust and managed by trustees, for the benefit of certain beneficiaries. Trusts are good way of preserving assets for future generations as well as people who are unable to manage their own affairs such as minors, insolvents or those with mental disabilities. Julies Attorneys can discuss various options on how to structure a trust for your specific family assets.
