estate planning
If immovable property in your estate is transferred to an heir – whether by testate or intestate succession - your estate will be required to pay the transfer costs, being the attorney’s conveyancing fees, in accordance with a sliding scale
Generally speaking, it is the spouse or close family member of the patient who brings the application but, in circumstances where the applicant is not the next of kin, the application will need to include reasons as to why that
In order to bring an application for administrator, it must be proved that the mentally incapacitated person meets the criteria set out by the Mental Health Care Act in terms of diagnosis and medical evidence.
The general principle of the accrual system is that each spouse is entitled to take out the asset value that he/she brought into the marriage, and whatever is built together during the subsistence of the marriage is shared equally. So,
A recent court ruling has found that capital held in a living annuity does not form part of the estate for the purposes of dividing assets on divorce. However, the future annuity stream can be used in determining the maintenance
If the Will is found to be invalid, then the deceased’s estate must be wound up in terms of the laws of intestate succession. In such an instance, the Master will appoint an Executor Dative to the deceased estate.
Executor’s fees are regulated by statute and are set at a maximum of 3.5% (plus VAT) on the value of the gross assets in your estate plus 6% of income accrued and collected after your death. However, in many instances,
The trustees that you appoint will have a fiduciary duty to manage the trust assets in the best interests of the trust beneficiaries, and it is, therefore, important to choose your trustees wisely. Ideally, you should consider someone who has
If you’re suffering from a terminal illness, planning for your end-of-life medical care will no doubt be important for you. An advance healthcare directive is a comprehensive document that allows you to make decisions about your medical care and to
If there have been changes to your smoker status since the inception of the policy, be sure to find out what your insurer’s requirements are in this regard as there may be an obligation on you to notify them, particularly
