To think that wills should be public documents

[GnomeDePlume]

before the testator dies.

Not a TAAT but so many times in RL and on MN I have heard about wills which do the opposite of what was intended or which make assumptions about who should/should not benefit from an estate.

If the will was public then any potentially interested person could read the will. If they dont agree with it then they can raise it with the testator.

As wills are often made many years before the testator dies clauses which seemed perfectly fair at the time can become out of date (eg leaving an estate to named grandchildren can seem like a nice thing until a late arriving grandchild is born and not being named is effectively disinherited).

The testator has to own the decisions they have made rather than leave the executor to deal with everything whe there is nothing they can do to change things.

but what if I am going to have to be the executor of a will which contains terms which are likely to cause problems and be tricky to unpick?

*And that's why I think that executors should have to agree to be executors and sign the will as well as the witnesses.
Otherwise the will could well be a bit of a

Nobody had to be an executor though. If you don’t want to do it then you just step down.

You can’t be obligated to do it just because the will says so.?

Publicin the sense of every Tom, Dick or Harry can know a person's private business? The conners and scammers would be queuing up to rob the elderly person even more than now, what an idiotic idea!

Just because you've been nominated as executor you don't have to do it. Tbh it is a thankless and involved task.

I think the problem a lot of people have with wills is that they combine the two things that people are least comfortable talking about: money and dying.

Reading what everyone has written on this thread I am happy to accept that people think I am unreasonable. I don't have an issue with discussing my will with my DCs so will continue to keep them up to date with any changes made. Which reminds me that I need to get our POAs in place sooner rather than later.