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Don’t die in an awkward position

By Bruce Cameron
Co-author to The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa

“Don’t die in an awkward position,’ says will and estate specialists, Capital Legacy”.

Everyday thousands of South Africans wake up blissfully unaware that it could be their last day. They could be one bad decision away from tragedy. Death doesn’t choose the perfect moment. More often than not it’s unexpected. And it doesn’t wait for you to get your affairs in order,’ says Craig Harding, chief executive of Capital Legacy.

About 70 percent of South Africans die without a will (last testament) - that is very bad news for your beneficiaries – particularly for those you like.

Die without a will, and in effect, the State divides up your assets for you, based on a legal pre-determined structure, which decides which relative gets what. This can mean an unpopular relative will receive more than you think he or she deserves, while a deserving relative will receive less.

With a will you decide on who gets what. Without a will the State decides.

When the state decides it will also probably mean:

It could take longer to finalise your will;
Payments to dependent’s are likely to be delayed;
Some of your assets could land up in a badly managed government trust; and,
You will not be able to plan your estate (what you own) to reduce tax obligations (meaning less for beneficiaries).

You need to discuss this before you die

Harding says: ‘Talking about death is such a difficult thing and often avoided, so we have to push the boundaries to get more South Africans to sort out their wills.’

The “don’t die in an awkward position” Capital Legacy campaign, is based on black humour or what it calls a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ tone. “Loud enough to cut through, yet soft enough to be human”.

Here are some examples:

The last rep: Chad tried to flex by lifting 300 kg. It was not the personal best he’d planned.
The yoga pretzel: Bianca, a yoga fanatic, who attempted the forbidden pigeon pose. A stretch too far.
The lightening drive: Deano, a golf enthusiast, who insisted on playing during a thunderstorm. He should’ve paid more attention to the storm than his tee shot.
The tight squeeze: Jeff, who thought he could feed his pet python, late. Not only did he forget to feed python…but left the cage open.

In other words: ‘Don’t die in an awkward position. Don’t die without a will,’ or ‘because there’s no will, there’s dying in an awkward position.’

The examples are used to make you laugh. And maybe wince. But most importantly to get you to stop and think and talk about one thing not enough people are talking about.

Dying with a will is not limited however to the unexpected events. As you get older it obviously means you are closer to death, whether it is by accident or a dread disease.

Many older people do not have wills and the consequences are they are in exactly the same place as those in an awkward position. As the company says: Don’t die awkward.

You may also think you have a will. But it could be a will you drew up when you were in your 20 or 30. By the time you die as a pensioner:

Your estate (everything you own) could be very different. You will probably have money in property, savings in different places and even in an art collection.
Your beneficiaries – the people who depend on you may be very different to the extent that some may even have died in the intervening years.

There is a lot more detail about why a will is necessary in the book, The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa, co-authored by Bruce Cameron & Wouter Fourie. For more information on how to purchase the book go to BUY NOW on our website www.retirementplanning .co.za

https://retirementplanning.co.za/col-13-name-and-check-your-beneficiaries/

https://ascor.co.za/how-to-draft-a-will/

https://ascor.co.za/you-need-an-estate-plan-to-protect-the-future-of-your-loved-ones/

https://ascor.co.za/things-to-have-handy-in-case-you-pass-away/

https://ascor.co.za/death-and-taxes-make-both-more-palatable-with-an-estate-plan/

https://ascor.co.za/drafting-a-last-will-and-testament/

Share this post

Don’t die in an awkward position

By Bruce Cameron Co-author to The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa

“Don’t die in an awkward position,’ says will and estate specialists, Capital Legacy”.

About 70 percent of South Africans die without a will (last testament) - that is very bad news for your beneficiaries – particularly for those you like.

Die without a will, and in effect, the State divides up your assets for you, based on a legal pre-determined structure, which decides which relative gets what. This can mean an unpopular relative will receive more than you think he or she deserves, while a deserving relative will receive less.

With a will you decide on who gets what. Without a will the State decides.

When the state decides it will also probably mean:

It could take longer to finalise your will;

Payments to dependent’s are likely to be delayed;

Some of your assets could land up in a badly managed government trust; and,

You will not be able to plan your estate (what you own) to reduce tax obligations (meaning less for beneficiaries).

You need to discuss this before you die

Harding says: ‘Talking about death is such a difficult thing and often avoided, so we have to push the boundaries to get more South Africans to sort out their wills.’

The “don’t die in an awkward position” Capital Legacy campaign, is based on black humour or what it calls a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ tone. “Loud enough to cut through, yet soft enough to be human”.

Here are some examples:

The last rep: Chad tried to flex by lifting 300 kg. It was not the personal best he’d planned.

The yoga pretzel: Bianca, a yoga fanatic, who attempted the forbidden pigeon pose. A stretch too far.

The lightening drive: Deano, a golf enthusiast, who insisted on playing during a thunderstorm. He should’ve paid more attention to the storm than his tee shot.

The tight squeeze: Jeff, who thought he could feed his pet python, late. Not only did he forget to feed python…but left the cage open.

In other words: ‘Don’t die in an awkward position. Don’t die without a will,’ or ‘because there’s no will, there’s dying in an awkward position.’

The examples are used to make you laugh. And maybe wince. But most importantly to get you to stop and think and talk about one thing not enough people are talking about.

Dying with a will is not limited however to the unexpected events. As you get older it obviously means you are closer to death, whether it is by accident or a dread disease.

Many older people do not have wills and the consequences are they are in exactly the same place as those in an awkward position. As the company says: Don’t die awkward.

You may also think you have a will. But it could be a will you drew up when you were in your 20 or 30. By the time you die as a pensioner:

Your estate (everything you own) could be very different. You will probably have money in property, savings in different places and even in an art collection.

Your beneficiaries – the people who depend on you may be very different to the extent that some may even have died in the intervening years.

There is a lot more detail about why a will is necessary in the book, The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa, co-authored by Bruce Cameron & Wouter Fourie. For more information on how to purchase the book go to BUY NOW on our website www.retirementplanning .co.za

Read more on this topic here:

https://retirementplanning.co.za/col-13-name-and-check-your-beneficiaries/

https://ascor.co.za/how-to-draft-a-will/

https://ascor.co.za/you-need-an-estate-plan-to-protect-the-future-of-your-loved-ones/

https://ascor.co.za/things-to-have-handy-in-case-you-pass-away/

https://ascor.co.za/death-and-taxes-make-both-more-palatable-with-an-estate-plan/

https://ascor.co.za/drafting-a-last-will-and-testament/

By Bruce Cameron
Co-author to The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa