Protect What You've Built.
Estate and legacy planning that ensures your wealth reaches the people and causes you care about — efficiently, legally, and on your terms.
70% of South Africans die without a valid will.
Without proper estate planning, the Intestate Succession Act decides who gets what — and the result is almost never what you would have chosen. Your spouse may not inherit everything. Your children's guardianship could be decided by a court. Your business could be frozen.
Estate planning isn't just for the wealthy. Anyone with assets, dependants, or wishes about how their affairs should be handled needs a plan. A valid will, the right beneficiary nominations, and a clear structure can save your family months of legal proceedings, tens of thousands in unnecessary fees, and immeasurable emotional distress.
The cost of inaction is real. Executor fees can reach 3.5% of your gross estate (plus VAT). Estate duty is levied at 20% on estates above R3.5 million. Without planning, your heirs may need to sell assets — often at a loss — just to settle the estate.
3.5% + VAT
Maximum executor fees on your gross estate. On R5M, that's over R200,000 in fees alone.
20% estate duty
Levied on estates exceeding R3.5M (R7M for spouses). Proper planning can significantly reduce or eliminate this.
Intestate = no control
Without a will, your estate is divided by a fixed legal formula. Your wishes — and your family's needs — are irrelevant.
What We Offer
Comprehensive Estate & Legacy Services
We work with you and your legal advisors to build a structure that protects your family, minimises tax, and ensures your legacy endures.
Will Drafting & Review
Your will is the single most important document in your estate plan. It determines who inherits your assets, who cares for your minor children, and who administers your estate. Without one, the state decides for you.
We help you draft a comprehensive, legally valid will — or review your existing one to ensure it reflects your current circumstances. Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, acquiring property, or starting a business are all triggers to update your will.
Why act now? A will drafted 10 years ago may no longer reflect your wishes, your assets, or the law. Outdated wills cause disputes, delays, and unintended consequences.
- Legally valid will drafting and execution
- Regular review as your circumstances change
- Nomination of executors and guardians
- Specific bequests and residual estate distribution
70%
Of South Africans die without a will
Types of Trusts We Structure
Inter Vivos Trust
Created during your lifetime to hold and manage assets outside your estate — reducing estate duty and protecting assets from creditors.
Testamentary Trust
Created by your will and takes effect on death. Ideal for providing for minor children or dependants who cannot manage finances independently.
Special Trust
For persons with disabilities. Receives favourable tax treatment and ensures long-term care provisions are met.
Trust Structuring & Administration
A trust allows you to separate ownership from control — protecting assets for future generations, shielding them from creditors, and reducing your taxable estate. But trusts must be structured correctly or they can create more problems than they solve.
We work with specialist attorneys to establish trusts that serve your specific goals — whether that's providing for minor children, protecting a family business, or ensuring a disabled dependant is cared for long after you're gone.
Why act now? Assets transferred to a trust during your lifetime avoid estate duty on future growth. The sooner you structure, the more you protect.
Estate Duty & Tax Optimisation
Estate duty in South Africa is 20% on the first R30 million above the R3.5 million abatement, and 25% thereafter. Combined with executor fees, CGT on deemed disposal, and income tax on retirement funds, the total tax drag on an unplanned estate can be devastating.
We analyse your full asset picture — property, investments, retirement funds, business interests, life insurance — and structure your estate to minimise the tax burden on your heirs. This might involve trusts, donations during your lifetime, insurance policies owned outside your estate, or simply ensuring your beneficiary nominations are correct.
Why act now? Tax planning is most effective when you have time. The earlier you start restructuring, the more estate duty you avoid on future asset growth.
- Estate duty analysis and minimisation strategies
- CGT planning on deemed disposal at death
- Life insurance structuring for estate liquidity
- Donations tax planning within annual exemptions
20%
Estate duty above R3.5M
R3.5M
Primary abatement
A business without a succession plan is a liability, not a legacy.
Business Succession & Key Person Cover
If you own a business, your estate plan must account for it. Without a clear succession strategy, your death or incapacity could freeze operations, destroy value, and leave your partners and employees in limbo.
We help structure buy-and-sell agreements funded by life insurance, key person policies that protect the business if a critical member is lost, and succession plans that ensure a smooth transition — whether to family, partners, or an external buyer.
Why act now? Buy-and-sell agreements must be in place before they're needed. Once a health event occurs, it's too late to get cover or restructure ownership.
- Buy-and-sell agreements funded by life insurance
- Key person cover for critical business members
- Succession planning for family businesses
- Business valuation for estate and tax purposes
Your Checklist
Do You Have These in Place?
If you can't tick every box, it's time to speak to an advisor.
Your legacy is too important to leave to chance.
Let's review your estate plan together and ensure your family is protected, your taxes are minimised, and your wishes are honoured.
Schedule a Consultation