Planning your estate

Estate planning considers what should happen to your assets and financial responsibilities when you die. Your circumstances, family arrangements and the nature of your assets can all affect the decisions you need to make.

We assist with estate planning and help clients consider relevant financial and estate-duty implications. Good planning begins with an understanding of your current position and what you want to achieve.

Drafting a will

A will records how you want your estate to be dealt with after your death, subject to applicable law. It can also identify the person you would like to nominate as executor.

We assist with drafting wills and reviewing arrangements when circumstances change, such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or significant changes in assets. A will should reflect your current wishes and comply with the legal requirements for a valid will.

When someone dies, their estate must be administered according to the applicable legal process. This can involve identifying assets and liabilities, dealing with creditors, attending to tax matters and arranging the distribution of the estate to beneficiaries.

PC Bruwer & Partners assists with deceased estate administration and can act as executor where duly appointed. We help families navigate the financial records, documentation and administrative steps involved during an already demanding time.

The process and timeframe depend on the circumstances of the estate and the requirements of the relevant authorities. No two estates are exactly alike.

Trusts may form part of an individual’s or family’s wider financial and estate arrangements. Whether a trust is appropriate depends on its purpose, the people involved and its ongoing legal and administrative obligations.

Our services include assisting with the establishment of trusts, preparing trust deeds and providing trust administration support. We can also act as trustees where appropriately appointed.

A trust is not simply a document that is signed and put away. Trustees have responsibilities, and the trust’s records and affairs need ongoing attention. We can discuss the administrative and financial requirements relevant to a particular trust.

Estate and trust decisions often have tax consequences. Depending on the circumstances, these may involve estate duty, donations tax, capital gains tax and income tax obligations.

Our Tax Services cover these areas, allowing clients to discuss the tax implications alongside their wider estate or trust arrangements. The treatment of a particular transaction depends on current law and the facts involved.

• Tax Services — estate duty, donations tax, capital gains tax and other tax matters.

• Accounting Services — accounting records and related support.

• Financial Statements & Reporting — financial reports and interpretation of financial information.

• Auditing Services — trust account audits and other audit engagements where applicable.

• All Services — explore the firm’s full range of services.

Whether you want to put a will in place, need assistance with a deceased estate or have questions about establishing or administering a trust, contact PC Bruwer & Partners in Bloemfontein to discuss your circumstances.