Don’t wait until the last minute. Processing an inheritance is a complex job. It is a procedure that involves bureaucracy, paperwork,… And all this in a complicated life moment, with the loss of a loved one.
At Gestingral, we recommend that families – whenever possible, of course – act with foresight and have the documents ready. “Basically we need 4 things: will, death certificate, last will and testament and life insurance. And from there, to know what assets that person had,” explains Patrícia Méndez, expert advisor in inheritances at Gestingral.
It should be borne in mind that, by law, there is a margin of six months to file the taxes for the processing of the inheritance from the date of death. If we exceed this time, taxes are paid… and interest! That is why planning is so important. “Everyone has to do this planning as soon as possible. And the first thing to do is the will,” says Patrícia.
No matter the age: the will can always be updated
“I, for example, did it this summer. I went to the notary one day and did it. Now that I’m 40 years old, I know what I want, what I have… it must be remembered that the will can be updated throughout life,” adds the inheritance expert at Gestingral, who gives another example of foresight. “A few months ago I received a visit from a couple who were going to China. They were between 20 and 30 years old, but they told me that they had decided to make a will. That way they were calmer, they told me.”
If you don’t have a will, you can get into trouble with the heirs, notaries,… In short, the process can be very complicated and extraordinarily expensive. For this reason, at Gestingral we are always committed to planning.
