A will is only the beginning: How House of Heirs is preparing families for what happens after death

A valid will is essential, but South African families may still face complex administrative, tax and legal processes after a death.

For many South Africans, estate planning starts and ends with signing a will.

A valid will is essential, but it is only one part of protecting a family’s future. The real test of an estate plan does not happen when the document is drafted. It happens after death, when a grieving family must locate documents, understand complex instructions, identify assets and liabilities, communicate with institutions and begin a legal process they may never have encountered before.

This is the problem House of Heirs was intentionally created to solve.

Founded by attorney and experienced deceased-estates practitioner Riona Naiker, House of Heirs takes a fundamentally different view of estate planning. Instead of treating a will as the final product, the company treats it as the beginning of a carefully considered estate-administration plan.