Will & Estate Planning in India
Your wishes, executed—without confusion, conflict, or delay.
Most families postpone estate planning and end up paying for it later—through avoidable disputes, locked assets, and years of friction. Let’s fix that now, clearly and calmly.
Key Benefits
Why This Can’t Wait (India Today)
If you don’t make the decisions, the law will—sometimes in ways you never intended.
- Only a small fraction of Indians have a written will, which leaves families navigating the default succession rules.
- A large share of civil cases relate to inheritance/property disagreements—often dragging for years.
- India’s next-gen wealth transfer (through 2047) is enormous; without paperwork, intent gets lost
What We Mean by “Will & Estate Planning
A practical, written plan for who receives what, how, and when—and how your family accesses essential information. Beyond the will itself, it includes guardianship, nominations/beneficiaries, powers of attorney, medical directives, and instructions for digital assets.
Why It Matters Right Now
- Avoid one-size-fits-all legal distribution that may not reflect your wishes.
- Prevent hurt feelings and expensive disputes by making intentions unambiguous.
- Make sure nothing goes missing—bank/investment accounts, insurance, or digital holdings.
- Cut delays: the clearer the documents and evidence, the smoother the transition.
- Cover modern realities: NRIs, online businesses, passwords, crypto, blended families
Where Indian Estates Commonly Break
- Sloppy drafting/witnessing that’s easy to challenge.
- Nominee ≠ legal heir mix-ups across banks, MFs, insurance.
- Different religious succession frameworks creating complexity.
- No instructions for digital assets (email, drives, domains, crypto, subscriptions).
- NRI assets straddling multiple jurisdictions without coordinated wills.
our Process
Custom Guidance for Your Will & Estate Plan
We begin with a private, judgment-free conversation about your wishes and family dynamics. Then we turn that into a plan your family can actually use.
1:1 Discovery
Heirs, guardianship, special provisions, edge cases.
Legal Coordination
We work with your lawyer to draft/validate the will and POA
Nominee Alignment
Bring banks, demat, MF, insurance, EPF/NPS in line with your beneficiaries.
Conflict Prevention
Address sensitive distributions now to avoid surprises later.
Digital Legacy
Clear instructions for passwords, crypto keys, online businesses
Aikeyam Vault
Central asset register + document storage with a sharing protocol.
Annual Review
Update after life events—marriage, birth, inheritance, relocation.
SEBI-registered, fee-only advisory. We coordinate with licensed legal professionals; we don’t provide legal advice.
Key Benefits
What We Do (Aikeyam Wealth)
As a SEBI-registered, fee-only advisor, we coordinate the finance side and ensure the legal paperwork you execute is workable in real life.
Your deliverables
- Will creation coordination (with your lawyer), executor/witnessing guidance
- Nominee/beneficiary cleanup & sync across financial institutions
- Aikeyam Legacy Map: a complete inventory of assets/liabilities with titles and access paths
- Beneficiary strategy (special-needs provisions, philanthropic bequests)
- Guidance on financial/medical POA and advance medical directives with counsel
- Digital Heirloom Plan: how credentials are stored and handed over
- Letter of Wishes for human context that doesn’t fit formal legal language
- Periodic reviews so the plan stays current
our Process
Our 6-Step Estate Planning Process
Discovery & Lifestyle Planning
Define your retirement vision, goals, and constraints
Risk Assessment & Data Gathering
Analyse income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and risk tolerance
Corpus Calculation
Size your retirement corpus using inflation-adjusted projections
Strategic Asset Allocation
Design accumulation and distribution phase strategies
Income Distribution Planning
Structure SWP, pensions, and tax-optimised withdrawals
Ongoing Reviews & Adjustments
Regular rebalancing, healthcare updates, and life change adaptations
Special Focus (as needed)
Why Most People Overpay on Taxes — and How We Fix It
Digital Legacy
Define who receives access to email/cloud drives, subscriptions, social accounts, domains, crypto, and admin consoles—plus where credentials live.
NRI & Multi-Country Estates
Often, separate country-specific wills that don’t revoke each other are prudent. We scope the India leg and coordinate with overseas counsel.
Family Businesses & Real Estate
Clarity on ownership, continuity, liquidity (buy-sell understandings, title chains, encumbrances).
Quick Wins We Implement Fast
- Nominees aligned with actual beneficiaries
- A single Aikeyam Legacy Map your family can rely on
- 90-Day Access Pack: who to call, where documents are, how to access urgent funds
- A short Letter of Wishes to reduce ambiguity
Who We Serve
- Professionals & business owners who want clarity and control
- NRIs with property or investments in India
- Blended/complex families needing thoughtful provisions
- Elderly parents who don’t want to burden children
FAQs
Frequently Asked questions
We’ve got answers! explore our FAQs to learn more about how Aikeya can enhance your wealth.
01 Is a handwritten will valid?
Yes—if it’s clear, signed by you, and witnessed by two adults who also sign. Registration isn’t always mandatory, though it can help evidence.
02 Do I need to register my will?
Not compulsory in many cases. The essentials are proper drafting, clear intent, and correct witnessing.
03 Nominee vs legal heir—what’s the difference?
A nominee is a payout custodian; the legal heir (as per your will/succession law) is the owner. We make nominees and beneficiaries match.
04 Separate wills for India and abroad?
Often sensible. Ensure they’re limited to their respective assets and don’t revoke each other.
05 How often should I update my will?
Check annually and after big changes—marriage, birth, death, relocation, buying/selling major assets, business changes.
06 What about passwords and digital assets?
Use a password manager and a Digital Heirloom Plan that gives executors a lawful path to access.
07 Who should be executor?
Organised, trustworthy, willing—and name a backup.
08 What if someone contests later?
Good drafting and process reduce risks. We also keep records (intent, inventories) that help executors.
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WIll & Estate Planning
Most families postpone estate planning and end up paying for it later