SECURE YOUR LEGACY

It’s a dream many aspire to—amassing a portfolio of real estate properties, watching your wealth grow with each new title deed. But here’s what so many overlook: Who’s going to pay the estate taxes when you’re gone?

Time and again, I’ve heard heartbreaking stories. The patriarch or matriarch builds an impressive collection of land, houses, and condos. But when they pass on, their heirs are left scrambling. Why? Because the one thing they didn’t inherit was cash—cash needed to settle the estate taxes.

Suddenly, those prized properties have to be sold off—fast and at bargain prices—just to pay the government what’s due. Worse, some heirs, overwhelmed by the burden, do nothing. The result? The property gets stuck in a legal limbo, titles frozen in the name of the deceased, untouchable and unsellable. The longer the delay, the messier it gets as the more deaths transpire. With every generation, another layer of estate proceedings is added as more heirs pass away.

This is exactly why the government rolled out the estate tax amnesty: to help families clean up these legal snarls and finally transfer properties to their rightful owners. But wouldn’t it be better to plan ahead and spare your heirs the headache?

Here’s a smart move: get life insurance coverage that grows with your portfolio. A simple rule of thumb? Each time you add a property:

If you’re single, insure yourself for at least 6% of its zonal value.

If you’re married, 3% will cover your half of the conjugal share.

And as your properties appreciate in value, top up your coverage. After all, estate taxes aren’t based on what you paid for the property—they’re based on its zonal value at the time of death.

Your LEGACY should be a GIFT, not a burden. The last thing you want is for your heirs to inherit your hard work and the headache of figuring out how to pay for it.