DEAR Editor,-
What an excellent article by Judi Davis on wills in the August 26 edition of the Herald. May I suggest that Judi does a follow up article on what happens after the event.
When standing in the queue at the bank, the internal TV often advertises ‘Free Wills Day’ – Have your will drawn up for free. But what they do not tell you is that this will normally appoint the bank as the executor of that will automatically which attracts an executors fee of three percent plus (of the entire estate).
After dealing with a man who recently lost his wife and is extremely bitter because of what he perceives as excessive costs charged by the bank for handling the estate, I spoke to both Hylton Mc Garr (039 3122662) and Kerry Loukakis (039 3173374).
Even when it is not ‘free wills week’, it would pay people to approach one of the above-mentioned or their own attorney to draw up a will. There are 15 attorneys listed on Google under Margate. The cost of drawing up a will is between R300 and R400 and the advantages are: 1) If one wants the attorney to act as executor, you can negotiate the percentage; and, 2) One can appoint an executor of your own choosing, be it a family member with good financial knowledge, or an accountant or bookkeeper. And once again, negotiate the fee with that person before naming them, but maintain control.
GEORGE ENSLIN
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