What is an executor?
An executor is the person you nominate in your Will who will carry out your wishes when you die. An executor’s role will often be to organise the funeral, and will also include identifying the assets, valuing the assets, applying for Probate if necessary, gathering the assets in, paying off any debts, and then distributing the assets to the beneficiaries nominated in the Will.
Do I have to nominate my spouse or partner as my executor?
No, you do not. You can nominate anybody who you believe would be capable of doing the job.
Should I nominate several executors? I am not sure who to nominate.
We generally recommend that you nominate one executor, purely for logistical reasons. However, we also recommend that you use a hierarchy such as nominating one person, but if they are unable or unwilling to do it then nominating a second person, or nominating several people such as your children. In our experience this works well. However, there is nothing stopping you from nominating several people to do the job, except they should agree on what is the best strategy to adopt, particularly if your assets are to be held in a trust for some time before distribution.
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