We have reached the end of National Wills Week, an important week during which many players within the Fiduciary Industry provide Wills, for free, in an effort to ensure more people take advantage of the value of this very important estate planning tool. Yet, there is still so much more we should be doing to encourage more people to have a Will. Providing a basic Will template for free for a week isn’t enough, and we should be encouraging more education around this important document all year round, and not simply for one week.
Your Will is an important document
As South Africa’s fastest-growing administrator of Wills and Estates, Capital Legacy offers a free Will-drafting service every day of the year, not only one week a year. So, when the other industry players emphasise the importance of Will-drafting during one week in September, Capital Legacy emphasises it all year-long. Because this is such an important document, Capital Legacy takes it one step further to provide its Will-drafting services, amendments, collection and safe custody all at no cost, independently of whether or not a client opts to nominate Capital Legacy as the executor, and regardless of the complexity of the Will and whether or not the Client chooses to take out an optional insurance policy.
Convenient, the way it should be
Capital Legacy’s vision is that each person should have a Will. It is in pursuit of this vision that they arrange for a specialist to personally drive to each and every client where and when it is convenient – at their work or home, and during office hours or even after hours – to discuss and draft their Will. There are online-Will drafting tools that you can use to get a quick basic Will but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. The value of having a specialist with the required expertise, sitting with you to advise you of the consequences of various clauses and scenarios is an important aspect you don’t want to lose when drafting your Will. “We use a cutting-edge Will-drafting tool that allows our consultants to draft a Will within minutes, but there is nothing more valuable than maintaining the personal touch and human connection to guide and advise our clients on their wishes.” says Alex Simeonides, CEO and co-founder of Capital Legacy.
Worldwide Wills are possible
South Africa is facing a massive emigration move and more South African’s are relocating overseas or buying property in other countries. This cannot be dealt with through an online Will-drafting tool as it could have major unintended consequences if not provided for correctly. Capital Legacy has an offering that assists clients with the drafting of a Worldwide or Offshore Will based on their individual needs, also part of their free offering.
Know the cost of dying
Further to this, it is prudent that you know what the potential legal fees and other associated costs will be that are incurred at the time of your death. “The reality is that as much as 30% of the value of the estate could be used to cover the legal fees associated with the estate when you pass away, if they are not properly planned for or catered for.” explains Simeonides. Simeonides says he started Capital Legacy after he, a financial advisor, witnessed the impact of estate fees on surviving family members as well as the number of people who die without a Will.
There are insurance solutions to this financial burden and Capital Legacy is well-known for its all-encompassing insurance solution.
Making a difference
Capital Legacy is dedicated to serving society while accomplishing its vision. Capital Legacy has, over the years, partnered with several organisation in various ways. This year, Capital Legacy has chosen to donate R25 for every Will collected using their industry-first free Will collection service, through CCD Couriers (a cost the company carries), to the Dempsey Foundation that helps families and communities care for those with special needs.
Last year, the Organ Donor Foundation benefitted from Capital Legacy’s Wills month initiative and received a generous donation of R 100 000, for the Wills that had been placed in safe custody. Other organisations that are partnered with Capital Legacy is CANSA and the Heart Foundation. For every client who passes away due to an associated condition, Capital Legacy donates R 1000 to the Heart Foundation or CANSA, on behalf of the deceased individual’s family, in memory of their loved one.
Capital Legacy is the forerunning Wills services provider and specialises in offering compassionate, efficient and burden-free Estate Administration. “We don’t just settle for industry-standard – our mission is to ensure that it is easy for every individual to have a valid Will, regardless of how personalised it should be, and we achieve this through innovative, in-house technology that also calculates the estimated legal costs and associated expenses and matches it to an optional insurance solution. And when the inevitable happens and we need to administer an Estate we believe in the human touch. Our Relationship Managers support the families of our clients as much as possible.
“We have so much that sets us apart and allows us to provide our services with compassion and a dedication to make the process of Wills and estate administration as convenient as we possibly can.” emphasises Simeonides.
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