Who can I appoint as Executor to my Will?

Your Executor can be any adult. It is a good idea to choose somebody trustworthy and good with paperwork and numbers. This person will have the responsibility to gather your assets and distribute them to your beneficiaries, so they will have to be an effective communicator who can work well with others. The Executor will also have to provide accounts to all of the beneficiaries to detail the size of the estate and explain how the assets were distributed.
 
Your Executor can be a beneficiary in the Will. In fact, it is very common to name one's spouse as the Executor and main beneficiary.
 
The Executor can be a friend, relative, neighbour, anybody who fits the required attributes. You can also appoint a solicitor, or professional Executor, but keep in mind that a solicitor will charge a percentage of your estate, plus an hourly rate, so this can amount to thousands of pounds in fees. If your estate is simple, they could be paid thousands of pounds for a few hours of work. In addition, professional Executors may not have a strong appreciation of your assets, or deal respectfully with family heirlooms (they will want to wrap things up as quickly as possible).
 
Our Wills allow your Executor to hire professional help whenever they get stuck, and pay for this out of the estate. This is our recommended approach, this way the professional will be paid hourly and only based on the work that they do.
There are no residency or citizenship requirements of an Executor, so we would generally recommend your most trustworthy and capable friend or relative.
 
The opinions expressed herein by "LegalWills.ca" are designed to provide educational information only and are not intended to, nor do they, offer legal advice.