AGD to Launch Estate Planning Public Education Campaign

The Administrator-General’s Department (AGD) will be launching a national public education campaign this year to sensitise more Jamaicans about its services and equip them with knowledge on good estate management practices.

Estate management involves legal preparations for a person’s passing and making final decisions on what should be done with the deceased’s assets, such as obtains in the drafting of a will.

The assets of persons passing on without leaving a will are managed by the AGD.

Administrator-General and AGD Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stacie-Ann Carty, told JIS News that the campaign aims to get more Jamaicans to buy into the process of estate planning.

“Unfortunately, it is not the reality for most persons to engage in estate planning. So, our Department is here, and we focus on moving the assets from the person who has died to the persons who survive. But we realise that not a lot of people think about it, talk about it or are aware of what the Administrator-General’s Department does in that entire process,” she said.

Mrs. Carty also noted that the campaign is a response to the issue of low engagement with estate management, adding that this is not limited to Jamaica.

“When you look at the data coming out of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, it’s a global phenomenon, where persons either don’t have the information, have a hesitation [or] don’t have access financially to legal persons to draft a will or a trust,” she pointed out.

The Administrator-General further highlighted that education about good estate planning practices is key to reducing instances of family disputes over “dead lef”.

“We’ll be having various conversations to get into the nitty gritty of the relations that happen when persons die, the bickering over ‘dead lef’, how to navigate that and what your rights are as well. Bickering is one thing… but you need to know what your real rights are,” she said.

A will is still the most effective way for persons to plan their estate and avoid these disputes, as it gives individuals full control over how their assets are to be shared.

“We all know we’re here for our time and, at some point, we’re going to die. So, what happens to our assets? We can write a will that will state ‘when I die, my bank account will go to person A, my house will go to person B, my motor vehicle will go to person C; those would be your children, your mother, your grandmother, your cousin, or a specific charity that is near and dear to your heart. It’s all up to you. You have full control over what happens,” Mrs. Carty said.

The public education campaign will also target schools as part of the Justice Ministry’s ongoing ‘Justice Fi All A Wi’ Roadshow, which kick-started in St. Elizabeth on June 13.

“We are a part of the Ministry of Justice and it’s a part of access to justice… access to information. So, we are rolling it out all-island on the roadshow, and the schools are also included. There is a school tour on every roadshow,” Mrs. Carty indicated.