ALL-GEN TRUST SOLUTIONS
WILL DRAFTS & ESTATE PLANNING
All-Gen Trust Services provides the full spectrum of local fiduciary services. We also act as independent trustees where required.
A will is an essential element of estate planning, which involves arranging your financial affairs in such a way that you, your family and any other beneficiaries may enjoy the maximum benefit from the assets both during your lifetime and after your death. It also allows you to appoint an administrator who will attend to the day-to-day administration of your estate.
When assets are passed from one generation to another estate duty is levied beyond a certain threshold. By implementing estate planning techniques this chain of successive duties can be broken which shields family wealth from unnecessary long-term erosion.
A trust is an efficient and flexible way to ensure that assets are properly managed, in accordance with legislative requirements by skilled professionals, for the best interest of the beneficiaries.
A Will is the only means to ensure that your estate is distributed according to your wishes when you pass away. It is a necessity for all adults – especially those with children.
Why you need a will
- Choose who you would like to benefit from your estate
- Protect the interests of minor beneficiaries
- Nominate guardians for your minor beneficiaries
- Nominate an executor or trustees of your choice
What will happen if you die without a will
- Strict legislation will decide who inherits your assets
- You will not have the opportunity to create a testamentary trust for your minor beneficiaries
- You will also not have the opportunity to nominate an executor of your choice
Should you want to donate your organs, you will need to register with The Organ Donor Foundation (free call 080 022 6611) and advise your next of kin of your wishes.
If you pass away and a Testamentary Trust has not been provided for in your Will and your children are under the age of 18, their inheritance will be reduced to cash and the proceeds paid into the Guardian’s Fund, administered by the Master of the High Court. These funds are not invested in growth investments and are at times difficult to get hold of.
With advice from our leading tax experts (taking Capital Gains Tax and estate duty into consideration) all beneficiaries listed in the Trust will be looked after as your funds within the Trust would be invested wisely.
The trustee administers funds in cases where the dependant cannot do so (for example as a result of a physical or mental handicap). This helps to avoid problems associated with the Guardian Fund.
Executorships and deceased estate administration in South Africa is highly regulated. And it requires both a working knowledge of the laws and the operation of the Master of the High Court’s Offices. Our vast experience in the wrapping up of estates and our comprehensive knowledge of tax, life assurance, the administrative process of the Master’s Office and SARS means that your estate is handled timeously and with the greatest care and professionalism at a time when your family needs it the most. Minimising estate duty and maximising after tax inheritance.
Estate Planning ensures that there is a holistic plan to take care of your personal and financial matters, should you pass away. All-Gen Trust Services can assist you in structuring your Estate Planning to suit your unique circumstances, and to make sure that your estate is set up in a tax efficient way. We focus on all points of the plan in unison, taking into account your assets and liabilities and using different tools such as drafting of a Will or setting up a Trust. The tools used will vary, depending on your needs.
Thorough estate planning could benefit anyone. However, if you have growing wealth or own your own business, you should definitely look into speaking to an expert in the field. All-Gen Trust Services can assist with this.
Estate planning is particularly important where one has been involved in more than one relationship or marriage. It can also help limit the impact of taxation on your estate.
Many estates lack sufficient available cash to settle debts. This may result in hardships for family members who will either have to provide cash themselves or agree to the sale of other assets to generate the cash needed. Ongoing planning for liquidity needs of an estate is a vital element of estate planning.