Quick answer
Legacy and estate planning in Singapore usually needs a will, a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), CPF and insurance nominations, and, for larger estates, trusts or legacy insurance. Together these ensure your wishes are honoured and your family avoids delay and disputes. Affinity's AEPP®-qualified advisors help you set it up.
Why every adult in Singapore needs a will
If you pass away without a valid will, your estate is distributed under the Intestate Succession Act (or Muslim inheritance law for Muslims), a fixed formula that may not reflect your wishes, especially for blended families, unmarried partners, dependants with special needs or charitable intentions. A will lets you choose beneficiaries, appoint executors and guardians for minor children, and reduce the risk of dispute.
Wills should be reviewed after marriage, divorce, children, property purchases or significant changes in wealth.
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
An LPA lets you appoint one or more donees to make decisions about your personal welfare and property and affairs if you lose mental capacity, for example through dementia, stroke or accident. Without an LPA, your family must apply to the court to be appointed deputy, which is slower, costlier and more stressful. LPAs are registered with the Office of the Public Guardian and are one of the most valuable, and most overlooked, planning documents.
CPF and insurance nominations
CPF savings and most insurance policies are not distributed under your will. CPF follows your CPF nomination (or intestacy rules if none is made); insurance follows a revocable or trust nomination made with the insurer. Outdated nominations are a common cause of families receiving less than intended, a review takes minutes and can matter enormously.
Trusts, legacy insurance and liquidity
For families with young or vulnerable beneficiaries, business interests, overseas assets or larger estates, a trust can hold and distribute wealth according to detailed instructions over time. Legacy insurance, including universal life and whole life plans, can create immediate liquidity for the estate, equalise inheritances between children or fund a buy-sell agreement so a business passes smoothly.
Affinity's high-net-worth advisors design these structures alongside lawyers and trust companies, so the legal, tax and financial pieces work together.
How Affinity approaches legacy planning
Several Affinity advisors hold the Associate Estate Planning Practitioner (AEPP®) designation, and our group leader Ng Jian Da specialises in high-net-worth estate planning. We start with a conversation about your family and what "looked after" means to you, map every asset and how it will pass, and coordinate wills, LPA, nominations, trusts and insurance so nothing falls through the gaps. We also run regular estate and legacy planning seminars in English and Mandarin.
