Choosing an Executor: Who to Name and Why It Matters

Most people spend real time deciding who inherits what, and about ninety seconds deciding who will be responsible for making it happen. That’s backwards.

Your executor will carry a job that commonly runs to several hundred hours over twelve to eighteen months, involves legal and tax obligations, and can expose them to personal liability if handled badly. Choosing the right person is one of the most consequential decisions in your will.

What the Job Actually Involves

An executor — formally a personal representative under BC’s Wills, Estates and Succession Act — is responsible for:

• Locating the will and arranging the funeral

• Securing and insuring your property

• Applying for probate through the BC Supreme Court

• Identifying every asset and every debt

• Notifying dozens of institutions and government agencies

• Filing your final tax return and often an estate return

• Obtaining a clearance certificate from the CRA

• Paying debts and taxes before anyone inherits

• Distributing the estate and accounting to beneficiaries

They’re a fiduciary, which means they must act in the estate’s interests rather than their own, keep meticulous records, treat beneficiaries even-handedly, and never mix estate money with their own.

They can be held personally liable for losses caused by mismanagement — most commonly for distributing the estate before debts, taxes, or a potential wills variation claim have been resolved.

What Actually Makes a Good Executor

Organisation over affection. The most loving person in your family may not be the most systematic. This job rewards people who keep records, meet deadlines, and follow through. Warmth is lovely; a spreadsheet is more useful.

Financial literacy. They don’t need to be an accountant, but they should be comfortable with bank statements, tax documents, and institutional paperwork — and know when to hire help.

Availability. Someone in the middle of a demanding career phase, caring for young children, or managing their own health issues may not have the capacity, however willing they are.

Even temperament. If your family has tensions, your executor will be standing directly in them. Someone who can absorb pressure without escalating is worth a great deal.

Trustworthiness. They will control everything you owned. This is non-negotiable.

Longevity. Naming someone your own age or older means a real chance they predecease you or lack capacity when the time comes.

Proximity helps. An executor in BC can handle registry visits, property matters, and in-person banking far more easily than one overseas.

The Common Choices

Your spouse. The natural default, and often right — they know your affairs and share your interests. The drawback is timing: they’ll be grieving deeply while doing demanding work. Name a strong alternate.

An adult child. Very common. Choose the one most suited to the work, not the eldest by default. If you have several children, naming one can create friction — and naming all of them can create paralysis.

Multiple executors. Co-executors must generally act unanimously. If they get along and divide labour sensibly, it works. If they disagree, the estate stalls until a court sorts it out. Two can work; three or more rarely does.

A trusted friend. Often an excellent choice, particularly if they’re organised and not entangled in family dynamics. Confirm they’re willing and reasonably likely to outlive you.

A professional — lawyer, accountant, or trust company. Worth serious consideration for large estates, complex assets, blended families, or where you anticipate conflict. They bring expertise and neutrality, and they don’t have a personal stake. They charge for it — typically within the same 5% framework a family executor could claim, sometimes more for trust companies — but for a difficult estate, that’s frequently money well spent.

A hybrid. Naming a family member alongside a professional gives you personal knowledge plus expertise. It costs more and requires them to cooperate, but it can work well.

Can a Beneficiary Be Your Executor?

Yes, and it’s extremely common. Your spouse or child can both inherit and administer.

Two things to watch. First, if you have several beneficiaries and name only one as executor, the others may scrutinise every decision — so choose someone who can withstand that. Second, a beneficiary must never witness your will: doing so voids their gift.

Always Name an Alternate

This is the most frequently skipped step and one of the most valuable.

Your first choice may die before you, lose capacity, move abroad, or simply decline. If there’s no alternate, someone must apply to the court to be appointed administrator — which is slower, more expensive, and often requires a bond.

Name at least one alternate. Two is better.

Ask Them First

An astonishing number of people name an executor without ever mentioning it.

Have the conversation. Explain what’s involved and roughly what your estate looks like. Let them say no — that’s a much better outcome than someone discovering the role at your funeral and feeling trapped by it.

Being named creates no obligation. An executor can renounce, as long as they haven’t already started administering the estate. But it’s far better to find out now.

Should They Be Paid?

Executors in BC are entitled to reasonable compensation from the estate — up to 5% of the gross aggregate value under the Trustee Act, plus a care and management fee in some circumstances.

Many family executors decline it. That’s a personal choice. But given the hours involved, nobody should feel awkward about accepting it, and you can address the question directly in your will — either specifying an amount or confirming that you intend them to take the statutory entitlement.

At minimum, make clear that out-of-pocket expenses — mileage, postage, filing fees — are reimbursable.

Make Their Job Easier

Whoever you choose, you can save them months:

Leave a road map. A single document listing your lawyer, accountant, and financial advisor; every financial institution; insurance policies and pensions; property and vehicles; recurring subscriptions; and where your digital credentials are kept. Not a legal document — just a map.

Tell them where the will is. And file a Wills Notice with BC Vital Statistics.

Keep beneficiary designations current. Registered accounts and insurance pass outside the will. Out-of-date designations cause more unintended outcomes than almost anything else.

Prearrange your funeral. Your executor will be making funeral decisions within hours of your death, often before the will has even been located. Prearranging removes that entirely — see our guide to why end-of-life planning matters.

Explain unusual decisions. If you’re treating children unequally or leaving someone out, a memorandum explaining your reasoning helps your executor understand and defend your intentions.

Reviewing Your Choice

Revisit the appointment when:

• Your executor’s health, capacity, or availability changes

• They move away

• Your relationship changes

• Your estate becomes significantly more complex

• Family dynamics shift meaningfully

A review every few years alongside your will is sensible.

Where We Fit

At Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services, we work with executors constantly — often within hours of a death, before they’ve spoken to a lawyer or even found the will. We see clearly which estates were set up thoughtfully and which weren’t.

The families whose executors do best are almost always the ones where someone planned ahead: the wishes were known, the funeral was prearranged, and the person named actually knew they’d been named.

If you’re putting your affairs in order, we’d be glad to help with that piece.

Learn more at myalternatives.ca

This article provides general information about executors in British Columbia. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified estate lawyer or notary public.