Understand your estate. Make confident decisions.

Only about 30% of South Africans have a valid will. If you die without one, you die "intestate" — and the Intestate Succession Act decides who inherits your estate, using a fixed legal formula that may not reflect your wishes at all.

A will lets you choose your heirs, appoint a guardian for your children, set up trusts to protect minors, and nominate an executor you trust. It is the single most important document your family will rely on.

When you pass away, your estate goes through a legal process before anything reaches your heirs:

• Your assets are gathered and valued
• Your debts are settled from the estate
• Estate duty (where applicable) is calculated
• Executor fees of 3.5% + VAT on the gross estate are deducted
• Whatever remains is distributed to your heirs

This is why fee indemnity matters: those costs come out before your family inherits.

The moment a bank is notified of a death, it freezes all of the deceased's accounts — including accounts a spouse may have relied on. Nothing can be withdrawn until the estate is formally administered.

That can leave a family unable to pay for the funeral, groceries or monthly bills for weeks or months. Immediate Liquidity™ exists precisely to bridge this gap with a fast cash payout.

How you're married directly affects what happens to your estate:

• In Community of Property — you share a single joint estate; on death, half belongs to the surviving spouse.
• Antenuptial Contract (ANC) with accrual — estates stay separate, but growth during the marriage is shared.
• ANC without accrual — estates remain entirely separate, with no sharing of growth.

Your marital regime shapes your will — which is why we analyse it during your consultation.

If a minor child inherits and no trust is in place, their inheritance is typically paid into the State's Guardian's Fund until they turn 18 — with limited access and government administration in between.

A testamentary trust, set up in your will, is the better alternative. It keeps the funds professionally managed for your child's education and care, on terms you choose. Matla includes testamentary trusts in your will drafting and can manage them for you.

Estate duty is the tax levied on the dutiable value of a deceased estate. As a general guide:

• The first R3.5 million is exempt (the "abatement").
• 20% applies to the dutiable value up to R30 million.
• 25% applies to the portion above R30 million.

Estate duty can be complex and depends on your circumstances. Our consultants explain how it may affect your estate — without giving you specific tax advice.