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Original poster

Executor for a will, explain it to me like a was a baby!

32 replies

Boxingshibes · 13/03/2025 16:05

Df has been in hospital recently a few times. Df and dm are now updating wills, paying for funerals etc. They would like me as their daughter to be the executor of any wills. What does that entail?
I thought an executor couldn't inherite anything?
Please explain it to me as if I'm stupid .

OP posts:
ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 13/03/2025 23:18

Boxingshibes · 13/03/2025 19:42

Day to day she'd be OK food shopping and stuff. But if the direct debits for bills can't come out of df's account I couldn't cover them.
She's showing signs of forgetfulness so I don't think she'd understand a joint account as they never had one.
It's a difficult thing to think about. Them dying but df has suddenly visibility got older.

Does your mum's pension go into her own account? If your dad passes away first then you would be able to get any utilities put into your mum's name. Utility companies will have bereavement sections which I w found useful.

To act on your mum's behalf you would need POA - and it's the financial one you need - for both parents (both in case your dad's illness also means he is no longer able to act for himself). You can print all the paperwork off to go through with your parents. You will need someone who has known them for a while to sign that they are in sound mind and understand what they are doing - this can be a friend, doesn't need to be a medical person or solicitor (as some people think). Then you need witnesses signature (not family).

Explainthe · 13/03/2025 23:25

Anjo2011 · 13/03/2025 21:47

I have recently completed probate for my late DM, if you don’t mind the admin it can be very straightforward. Probate costs £300 if you do it yourself and £1.50 for each certificate. Even if it's more complicated I would still start the process and you could always get legal advice later should you need it. Using a solicitor can be expensive when you can do all/most of the collecting of info yourself. You say they are in the process of updating the Will, if you can encourage them to get it finalised then do as this saves much hassle later on! From my own experience it’s important for you to know where the Will is. We couldn’t find any details for a while which was stressful in an already stressful situation. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with this any time soon but the more info you can get together the easier it will be when the time comes.

Do you have to be pretty good with figures to do it yourself?

Anjo2011 · 14/03/2025 07:06

@Explainthe No, all you do is collect he information from the banks etc that’s what takes the time. The actual form is fairly straightforward but if you have questions there is a helpline .

FrJohnnyHellzapoppin · 17/03/2025 17:52

Its worthwhile checking out Lasting Power of Attorney, as that will still apply if they get Alzheimers for instance.

Allseeingallknowing · 22/05/2025 11:15

TheChosenTwo · 13/03/2025 22:10

I’m an executor and have instructed the solicitor to basically do everything. It’s quite a complex messy job because of the circumstances at the time of death aswell as the nature of how the death came about so there would have been a huge amount to deal with (along with dealing with the grief). It’s been a huge weight off my mind tbh. They email me every now and then with something to sign or send paperwork through with the bit to sign all highlighted and ready to send back to them with an SAE. I think if I’m ever asked to be an executor again I’ll be doing the same thing just for ease.

Didn’t you have to collect all the info about pensions , bank account, isas , investments etc to give to the solicitor in the first place? That’s the hard bit!

anyolddinosaur · 22/05/2025 15:58

I've been an executor - Barclays were terrible, other organisations generally helpful. If you are not the only child make sure wills cover not just money but sentimental items, they can cause as many fights as the cash. Consider storing the wills https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/store-a-will-with-the-probate-service/how-to-store-a-will-with-the-probate-service

It's useful to get more than one death certificate and it's cheaper to get them all at once. I was dealing with a small and simple estate and still needed 3 at once to avoid hold ups as they all wanted originals not photocopies.

Your mother does not need to do anything about a joint account if this would be stressful for her but having one in both names considerably simplifies access to funds.

Power of attorney is very important.

Check if they have any life insurance. If they have it can be written in trust for the survivor. www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/guides/life-insurance-trusts/ Pensions sometimes allow you to appoint a beneficiary - it's not binding on the company but can simply things.

ChoppyChoppy · 22/05/2025 16:12

I did my Dads and was suprised how easy it was. It wasn’t too tricky although there were shares and property to sell. My dear Dad had given me all his passwords and that made it so much easier. I found the banks and other companies all very helpful. I was shocked how straightforward and helpful they all were actually.

I was even able to get back his balance from Ladbrooks.
I

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