This is someone you legally appoint to gather your worth up and distribute it as your Will says. They will settle from your worth any final bills, Funeral payments etc. and then move on to giving out any SPECIFIC GIFTS you have made and then divide the rest up according to your wishes.

Executors can be lay people like your spouse or partner, sons or daughters, family / friends etc - anyone you feel is sensible and organised can be one subject to a few qualifying criteria.

It’s unusual for lay Executors to charge the estate a fee - but they are allowed to if it’s a reasonable compensation for their time. They may repay themselves any fees or disbursements that they may have incurred upfront.

Alternatively, you can choose PROFESSIONAL EXECUTORS.

These can be Solicitors or Probate Companies who specialise in handling estates and dealing with what can be complicated and time consuming work.

An EXECUTOR can be personally responsible for an estate for many years and it’s important that they know that if they make mistake, they may need to pay out of their own pocket to put it right.

Professional Executors vary how they charge. They may charge a fee to be the Executor of the estate which is often a % of its value. Then there is the work itself which is normally charged at an hourly rate. Then there are any fees or disbursements incurred which could be things like valuation fees or other professionals fees and then lastly there is, of course, VAT.

This is a good question - as the work still needs to be done!

A close relative or family member has to apply for LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION. This is their legal authority to gather your assets and distribute them according to the RULES OF INTESTACY. This flowchart dictates who should have what and may not exactly be in line with your wishes. You may have had a long term partner, even regard yourself as ‘Common Law Husband / Wife’ but legally there is no such thing.

Also step children & foster children would not automatically inherit.

Absolutely yes!

As a parent you may feel it’s not something worth thinking about but wouldn’t you want to be sure that, if you had died, your kids would be well cared for and loved by someone you trust?

Get Guardians in your Will to ensure that your wishes are known in a legal documents so your kids can be looked after by the right people, in line with your values and beliefs.

A cheap DIY Will tends to be template driven, with little or no ability for customisation. It often doesn’t go deep enough into things like ‘if that gift couldn’t happen as that person has died - what then?’ Or include clauses that make the Will much more robust and ‘water tight’.

As with all DIY we are only as good as our own workmanship. How can you be sure you haven’t missed anything important that you should have considered? So we would advise using a professional.