Transmission: much more than a simple material inheritance
Every year in France, hundreds of thousands of families face the complex procedures of **inheritance**. In the collective imagination and on a legal level, the word "succession" immediately evokes appointments with the notary, inventories of real estate, bank accounts and complex calculations of transfer taxes. It is a fundamental subject which constantly concerns French families keen to protect their homes and ensure the future of their children.
However, reducing **transmission** to only financial and real estate assets is an incomplete vision of inheritance. What will happen to your personal story? Moral values that guided your choices? Memories of your ancestors, your voice and your precious life advice? While the law and notaries codify with absolute rigor the distribution of your euros and your stones, the most precious inheritance – your emotional and spiritual heritage – often risks disappearing with your last breath.
The fundamental rules of succession in France
To properly prepare your transfer, it is important to understand the legal mechanisms that govern inheritance devolution in France. French law protects the direct family and imposes strict limits on testamentary freedom:
The hereditary reserve and the available portion
In France, it is impossible to “disinherit” your children (except in extremely rare cases of unworthiness of inheritance). The assets of a deceased person are legally divided into two distinct parts:
- The hereditary reserve:The minimum share which rightfully accrues to the children (or to the surviving spouse in the absence of children). It represents half of the assets in the presence of one child, two thirds for two children, and three quarters from three children.
- The available quantity:The remaining part of the assets that you can freely bequeath to the person of your choice (a third party, a friend, an association) by means of a written will.
Tax allowances and inheritance tax
Passing on your assets often generates taxes for the heirs. However, the French State provides significant tax reductions for direct line transmissions (parents-children). Currently, each parent can give or bequeath up to€100,000per child every 15 years without paying any inheritance tax. Beyond this reduction, a progressive tax scale applies, ranging from 5% to 45%.
How can we best organize the transmission of our heritage during our lifetime?
To reduce your heirs' tax bill and avoid possible family conflicts when opening your will, anticipating the transmission during your lifetime is the most effective strategy:
- The sharing donation:It allows you to distribute all or part of your real estate and movable property between your children during your lifetime. It freezes the value of assets on the day of donation, thus avoiding disputes and complex value reassessments at the time of death.
- Life insurance:A tax tool with a very protective framework. Amounts paid into a life insurance contract before the age of 70 benefit from a specific reduction of €152,500 per designated beneficiary, without any transfer tax.
- The holographic or authentic will:Writing a will (alone by hand or with a notary) allows you to clarify the allocation of your specific assets (family jewelry, souvenirs, valuable furniture) and to avoid painful draws between your children.
Emotional inheritance: what the notary cannot transmit
All these notary and tax procedures are necessary to ensure the material security of your descendants. Bank accounts and property deeds don't tell the story of who you were, how you loved, what your greatest joys were, or the lessons learned from life's trials.
It is precisely to fill this emotional and cultural gap that **Posterity** was created. Posterity acts as the **notary of your emotions**. In addition to your material donations, Posterity allows you to seal your spiritual heritage in an inviolable digital safe. Thanks to the Posterity Pass at €139 (one-time payment for life), you can design private time capsules for your children and grandchildren, leave audio messages in your voice, commented family photos and intimate letters to be opened only after your departure. Ensuring the material future of those close to you is a duty; preserving your soul, your stories and your voice for centuries to come is the most beautiful legacy. Don't let your story die with your estate.
