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Estate Planning
It can be a tough topic to think about, but meeting with your estate planning annually is, arguably, one of the most important things you can do in this life.
Estate planning involves much more than just drawing up a will. It is the creation of the legal documents and processes that you want following when you pass to ensure that your assets are properly distributed, and your loved ones taken care of.
Estate planning is especially crucial if you are, or have been married, have children from different relationships, or if you are self-employed. Effective estate planning will shield your loved ones from a host of legal problems and financial uncertainty upon your passing, including prohibiting creditors from attaching personal assets.
At Lawhub, your estate and will lawyer helps you take into account and plan for all eventualities upon your death. These plans include any taxation obligations and other costs applicable to your estate in the event of your passing, that may otherwise negatively impact the distribution of assets to your loved ones.
Estate planning is something that has to be reviewed and revised regularly to take into account new assets acquired, changing financial circumstances, and keeping abreast of the impact of legislative and taxation changes as announced from time to time.
Estate Administration
Sadly, talking about your estate is another topic people avoid, but has the potential to cause big issues if it’s not sorted properly.
Administering or managing your estate starts after you’ve passed away and is the process of making sure your final wishes are carried out smoothly and with care and consideration.
By nominating Lawhub as an executor of your estate, our family lawyers in Christchurch & Hamilton are able to help your family with:
• Funeral arrangements;
• Meeting with beneficiaries of your will and managing any conflicts;
• Transferring property and dividing assets as you set out in your Will;
• Making sure your final affairs are in order, and are carried out the way you wanted.
The process of administering an estate can take anywhere from six months to a year, and at each step of the way, the team at Lawhub can be there to guide and advise your loved ones through this difficult time.
It's important to note that administering an estate is made more difficult if you have not made a will. To save your loved ones stress, time and money filing paperwork with the High Court, we strongly recommend creating a will today.
If you’d like more information about administering an estate, want to check if we hold a will for your loved one or have been appointed a private executor of an estate and you don’t know where to start, we're here to help.
Estates Specialists
Ruth Burgess
Ruth graduated as a mature student from Canterbury University after her children had grown up. She has always had a strong interest in helping her local community and standing up to injustice, which has influenced the areas of law she works in.
Read MoreRomeo Margaritis
Romeo considers himself a general problem-solver and has a wide range of legal experience after over forty years practicing law across Canterbury.
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