Estate & succession planning

Estate planning always starts with a thorough inventory in which we look at your personal situation and map out your assets:

• How are your assets structured (real estate, investments, partnerships)?
• What are your short- and long-term professional goals?
• What does your family and household situation look like today? Are there any specific concerns, such as children from a previous relationship or a family member in need of care?

Based on this analysis, our experts draw up a plan of action, with clear steps and priorities.

An estate planning expert not only ensures that your assets are adequately protected, but looks at what steps you need to take for a smooth wealth transfer. We offer guidance in three different areas:

1. Asset Protection
   What happens to your assets in the event of illness, accident or death? We look at how you can maximally protect your assets and your family in unexpected situations.
2. Wealth building & structuring
   How are your assets structured legally and fiscally? We map out your assets and provide tax and legal advice in the context of optimizations.
3. Asset Transfer
   We will discuss together the desired distribution of your assets and see what steps can be taken now (e.g. gifts) for a tax-efficient transfer.

Many people don’t think about their estate planning until later in life, but actually good estate planning starts a whole lot earlier. The earlier you start, the more flexibility you have and the more you can optimize.

Moreover, with every major life event, such as marriage, the birth of children, the purchase of real estate or the sale of a business, it is a good idea to review and adjust your estate planning.

The cost depends on the complexity of your case. We provide a clear customized quote for each process.

Don’t be put off by the idea of a price tag, however. In many cases, well-developed estate planning can save you a lot of money in the long run, for example in terms of inheritance tax. Moreover, thorough preparation provides greater peace of mind and clarity for your next of kin.

Gift and inheritance tax rates vary by region (Flemish, Brussels or Walloon Regions) and are determined by where the deceased or donor has lived the longest in the last five years.
In addition, the degree of kinship between the deceased/donor and the heirs/beneficiary also plays a role.

There are several ways to transfer a second residence or partnership in a corporation to your children or other heirs for tax purposes. For example, a split purchase on a second residence can be a smart solution. Here, the parents buy the usufruct of a residence and the children buy the bare property ownership.

Do you have a partnership or family business? Even then, there are several ways to organize the transfer in a tax-efficient manner, such as by using favorable regimes for family partnerships.