You are sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
-Warren Buffet
Crest Trust was founded by Ian Brink on the 1st of July 2005 and celebrates its 20th year in the fiduciary industry as a well-established role player.
Crest Trust was born from a strong need for more personalised support in the markets of SME’s, Agriculture and high-net worth individuals.
Crest Trust Holdings Incorporated is a personal limited professional incorporated company with shareholders and directors, Ian Brink, Helena Christie and Francois du Plessis.
Crest Trust has extensive experience in estate planning, structuring and restructuring private individual’s assets and proprietary interests forming part of their estates by utilising available legal mechanisms to achieve optimal commercial benefits and at the same time provide for those individuals’ families before and after their deaths. Naturally, the drafting of Wills always forms part of such service, whether it is a simple Will without the need for complex detail or it incorporates a trust or other structures in order to cater to the specific commercial or other needs of the individual and his/her family.
At Crest Trust we comprehend the inevitability of death and its ensuing uncertainty, particularly financial insecurity. For this reason, we specialize in rendering support to clients in their time of bereavement, in addition to extensive estate planning.
Fiduciary services rendered by us comprise of estate planning, drafting of Wills, setting up and administration of Trusts, the administration of Deceased Estates, as well as the drafting of business related Agreements and Contracts such as buy and sell agreements, sale agreements, lease agreements etc.
Deciding what not to do, is as important as deciding what to do.
– Steve Jobs
Services we offer:
ESTATE PLANNING:
Professor Meyerowitz defined estate planning to be the arrangement, management, securement and disposition of a person’s estate so that he, his family and other beneficiaries can enjoy and continue to enjoy the maximum benefits from his worldly possessions during his lifetime and after his death.
Estate planning does not only include measures which come into effect at the death of the owner of the estate. There are also planning aspects which may be put into effect during the lifetime of the estate owner. To reap the full benefit of good estate planning and to avoid the many pitfalls, it is essential to obtain advice from a skilled specialist. Planning an estate is also a way of optimising the use of financial and other legal structures such as companies and trusts.
Optimal Estate Planning ensures that heirs enjoy the benefit of wealth creation. The cost of an estate, such as taxes and other expenses are kept to the minimum. The transfer of assets to heirs is simplified. Complications and uncertainties which may trouble family members are limited.
WILLS:
A Will is probably the most important document one will ever sign. Having an up-to-date Will means that on death the estate will be distributed according to the wishes of the client and that it will be effectively administered. Apart from being the final wrap-up of what can be a lengthy, in-depth estate planning process, the drafting of a Will can pose a myriad of pitfalls – what is said, how it is said and whether the formalities of executing the Will are complied with. Our objectives are to comply with the requirements of the relevant legislation, to ensure that the ultimate distribution of an estate will be equitable, practical and timeous and also to rule out any potential conflict of interest.
TRUSTS:
The setting up of a trust often has its origin in the planning of one’s estate and is used as a financial vehicle, offering protection of assets against potential financial mishaps.
A trust also offers protection for the use of assets by beneficiaries. We offer the full spectrum of trust services:
- setting up of new trusts
- legal auditing of existing trusts
- administration of inter vivos and testamentary trusts
- acceptance of appointment as an impartial trustee.
The administration and management of any trust includes the following:
- Asset/ investment management
- Relationship management between beneficiaries, co-trustees and intermediaries.
- Compliance with relevant legislation – Trust Property Control Act, Income Tax Act and Exchange Control Regulations, to name but a few.
Trusts generally have a very wide application and can be tailor-made/personalized to meet your specific needs. The following can be reasons for establishing a trust:
- To provide financially and otherwise for minor beneficiaries
- To honour maintenance commitments in terms of a divorce order and settlement agreement.
- Providing for a disabled dependant or aged parent
- Protecting and preserving assets for the next generation
- Serving as a holding vehicle for assets as part of estate planning structuring
- Providing a regular income for favourite charities (public benefit organisations).
- Providing for the dependants of a deceased employee
ADMINISTRATION OF DECEASED ESTATES:
Our eventual demise is as real as paying taxes.
We have a well-established department that administers all of our deceased estates, making use of a software program called Legal Ease.
The administration of an estate can be a highly technical process which may appear cumbersome and difficult to the uninformed. As executor, Crest Trust strives to administer clients’ estates as quickly as possible to the full satisfaction of all parties concerned without giving up on our personal service.
On receipt of notification of the death of a client we will arrange a meeting with the next of kin at their earliest convenience. Reporting documentation is usually completed during this meeting and the process is explained to all parties concerned.
The main duties of the executor will be the following:
- To take charge of the assets (this does not mean removing assets, but making sure that they are in good hands and adequately insured)
- Paying outstanding accounts, final taxes and any estate duty
- Delivering and/or transferring the net assets to the heir(s) according to the Will.
It is not the function of an executor to actively trade, buy or sell, or to arbitrate between opposing heirs. Every effort is made to hand over the assets to the heir(s) at the earliest opportunity so that they can deal with the assets as they seem fit.
In cases where there are business interests, the executor will take whatever steps may be appropriate to secure its disposal as a going concern. This means either handing control over to the heir(s) or finding a suitable buyer.
In the case of a cash shortfall the executor may have to sell some assets to cover the amount required. This is done in conjunction with the heir(s).
The executor will at all times remain unbiased and cannot be expected to take sides. The executor’s function is merely administrative and is governed by the provisions of the Administration of Estates Act 66, of 1965.
DRAFTING OF FIDUCIARY RELATED BUSINESSS CONTRACT AND AGREEMENTS:
We have legal experts who are skilled in drafting customised agreements as well as most other fiduciary related business agreements and contracts.
DIRECTORS
| C L BRINK | |
| B. Juris, Adv. Tax Certificate, FPSA®, MTP(SA), TEP | 43 years’ experience in Fiduciary and Tax Industry. Specializes in Wills, Trust Law and Administration, Taxation advice, Estate Planning, Administration of Deceased Estates, Fiduciary related contracts and agreements. Former National Chairperson of the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (FISA) |
| D F DU PLESSIS | |
| LL.B, Admitted Attorney, LPC | 10 years experience in the Fiduciary industry. Specializes in Wills, Administration of Deceased Estates and the Administration of Trusts |
| H C CHRISTIE | 32 Years of experience in Deceased Estates Administration. From 2000 to 2013 she received the annual Sanlam Trust CEO Award. Specializes in the Administration of Deceased Estates. |
CONTACT US: 012 643 1049
For more information about our services please contact us at:
CREST TRUST
Block 12 Lords Office Estate
276 West Avenue
CENTURION
| IAN BRINK 082 494 0097 ian@ctrust.co.za | FRANCOIS DU PLESSIS 082 335 6680 francois@ctrust.co.za |