Estate Planning

Careful estate planning provides security — for you and your family. We help you arrange your personal precautions and succession before the need arises.

Request a consultation +41 71 511 45 05 info@steurifisch.ch

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What we do for you.

Couple planning their estate together at home

Succession Planning

Comprehensive planning of your succession with a will or inheritance contract, taking marital property and tax aspects into account.

Lasting Power of Attorney

Preparation of lasting powers of attorney so that a person you trust acts in the event of incapacity — not the authorities.

Couple at home with a care folder, calmly discussing self-determination

Advance Healthcare Directive

Recording your medical wishes for situations in which you can no longer express them yourself.

Handing over a bunch of keys at the entrance of a small business

Business Succession

Arranging business succession — within the family or to third parties, aligned with marital property and inheritance law.

Couple with their adult child in front of the family home, planning its transfer

Asset Protection

Structuring and safeguarding your assets for the next generation, for instance through gifts, usufructs or marital agreements.

For your situation.

Couple in their sixties going through documents at the living room table

Estate planning before retirement

Pension or lump sum, providing for your partner, house and children: what to settle between 55 and 70.

Planning ahead before the need arises

Estate planning means more than writing a will. It covers precautions for the event of incapacity, the arrangement of your succession and — where necessary — coordination with marital property law, tax law and business interests. Those who plan in good time relieve their families and keep the arrangements in their own hands.

Lasting Power of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directive

With a lasting power of attorney you determine who represents you in personal care, asset management and legal matters if you lose capacity (Art. 360 et seq. Swiss Civil Code). Without one, the child and adult protection authority (KESB) decides on your representation. A lasting power of attorney must be drawn up entirely by hand or publicly notarised (Art. 361). An advance healthcare directive records your medical wishes (Art. 370 et seq.); it must be in writing, dated and signed. The two instruments complement each other — we coordinate them for you.

Planning Succession: Will, Inheritance Contract, Marital Property

Your actual succession is arranged by will or inheritance contract. Since the revision of inheritance law on 1 January 2023, compulsory portions are smaller (Art. 471 Swiss Civil Code) and the scope for arrangement correspondingly larger. For married couples, marital property law is worth a look: a marital agreement can, for example, allocate the surplus under the participation-in-acquisitions regime to the surviving spouse (Art. 216) — combined with an inheritance contract, a partner can be secured to a large extent. Cohabiting partners have no statutory right of inheritance; an express disposition is essential here, and cantonal inheritance tax should also be considered.

Business Succession

For entrepreneurs, succession arrangements are part of estate planning. Whether handing over within the family or selling to third parties: the inheritance, corporate and tax aspects must fit together so that the business remains capable of acting and the other heirs are treated appropriately. We develop a solution with you that achieves both.

How We Proceed

We start with an overview: family, assets, objectives. On that basis we propose the appropriate instruments — from a simple will to a combined marital and inheritance contract — and implement them. As our firm also provides notarial services, advice and notarisation come from a single source. We advise you at our offices in Wil SG (Villa India), Zurich, Teufen AR and Gossau SG; on request, we review your planning periodically as your circumstances change.

Your contact persons.

Fabian Steuri

Partner · M.A. HSG — Attorney at Law and Public Notary · Certified Specialist SBA Inheritance Law

+41 71 511 45 05 f.steuri@steurifisch.ch

Kim Ana Wegmann

MLaw — Attorney at Law and Public Notary

+41 71 511 45 05 k.wegmann@steurifisch.ch

Livia Danton

Partner · MLaw — Attorney at Law and Public Notary

+41 71 511 45 05 l.danton@steurifisch.ch

Book an appointment +41 71 511 45 05 info@steurifisch.ch

Frequently asked questions.

What is the difference between a lasting power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive?

A lasting power of attorney determines who represents you in personal, financial and legal matters if you become incapacitated (Art. 360 et seq. Swiss Civil Code). An advance healthcare directive sets out your medical wishes (Art. 370 et seq.). Ideally you should have both.

What form must a lasting power of attorney take?

A lasting power of attorney must either be written entirely by hand, dated and signed, or publicly notarised (Art. 361 Swiss Civil Code). Public notarisation is advisable in more complex situations — our notarial practice can carry it out.

At what age does estate planning make sense?

From adulthood — especially if you own property, run a business or have complex family arrangements. The earlier you plan, the more room for arrangement you retain.

Can I change my estate planning later?

Yes. You can amend or revoke wills, lasting powers of attorney and advance directives at any time as long as you have capacity. Inheritance contracts, by contrast, bind both parties; amendments require the consent of everyone involved (Art. 513 Swiss Civil Code).

How can I benefit my spouse or cohabiting partner?

Spouses can be benefited through a combination of marital agreement and inheritance contract, for instance by allocating the surplus (Art. 216 Swiss Civil Code) and disposing of the freely disposable quota. Cohabiting partners inherit nothing by law — a will or inheritance contract is essential here.

What does estate planning advice cost?

In an initial consultation we clarify your situation, the approach and the costs to be expected. You receive a transparent offer before any fees are incurred. The effort depends on the scope and complexity of your circumstances.

What happens if I have no will?

Then statutory succession applies (Art. 457 ff. CC): the estate passes to the spouse and descendants, or without descendants to the spouse and parents or siblings. Cohabiting partners and stepchildren inherit nothing by law — here a will or inheritance contract is essential.

What is an advance care directive and who needs one?

With an advance care directive you determine who represents you in personal, financial and legal matters if you lose capacity (Art. 360 ff. CC). Without one, the child and adult protection authority (KESB) decides on a deputyship. It makes sense for all adults — especially entrepreneurs, property owners and single people.