When someone asks you to be the executor of their will, they're trusting you with an important responsibility. Whether it’s a parent, grandparent, partner, or another close relative, accepting the role means you’ve agreed to carry out their wishes and administer their estate after they pass away.
For many people, that’s where the conversation ends. The will is signed, life moves on, and it may be years before the role ever becomes relevant.
The difficulty is that when an executor eventually needs to act, they’re often trying to make important decisions while coping with grief. At the same time, they may be searching for paperwork, contacting financial institutions, locating passwords, identifying beneficiaries, or trying to understand how everything is organised. Many of these challenges can be avoided with a few straightforward conversations in advance.
If you've recently been appointed as an executor, it helps to understand how everything is organised before your responsibilities begin. You don't need to know every detail of someone's finances, but the right information can save time, reduce stress, and help ensure their wishes are carried out.
This guide explains what being an executor involves, why these conversations matter, and the ten practical questions to ask before your responsibilities begin.
What Does an Executor Actually Do?
An executor is the person legally responsible for administering someone's estate after they pass away. Their responsibilities usually include:
- Locating the original will
- Registering the death with the relevant organisations
- Identifying the person’s assets and liabilities
- Applying for probate where required
- Paying outstanding debts and taxes
- Distributing the estate to the beneficiaries named in the will
The exact duties will depend on the size and complexity of the estate, but every executor has a legal duty to act in the best interests of the estate and follow the instructions set out in the will.
Those responsibilities don't begin until after the person's passing but preparing for them can start much earlier. A few conversations in advance can make it easier to locate important information, answer practical questions, and carry out the role with confidence.
Why Asking These Questions Now Matters
Most executors don’t struggle because the legal process is impossible. The real challenge is often a lack of information.
Important paperwork can be difficult to locate when it's stored across filing cabinets, email accounts, or online platforms. Financial information may be held with multiple providers, while family members may have different assumptions about what their loved one wanted or where key documents are stored.
Our lives have also become increasingly digital, adding another layer of complexity. Online banking, cloud storage, subscriptions, and social media accounts may all form part of someone's estate, but many families don't even realise these accounts exist.
This often leaves executors trying to piece everything together while coping with the loss of someone close to them.
The goal isn't to know every detail of someone's affairs or ask for confidential information such as account balances or PIN numbers. It's to understand where important information is kept, who the key people are, and how to get started.
10 Questions Every Executor Should Ask
If you've been appointed as an executor, these are some of the most important questions to ask as an executor in the UK before your responsibilities begin.
1. Where Is the Original Will Kept?
This is one of the most important conversations to have.
Many people assume their family knows where the original will is kept, but that's not always the case. It may be held by a solicitor, stored at home, or kept with a professional will storage provider.
When the time comes, being able to locate the original will quickly can help avoid unnecessary delays. It's also useful to know whether anyone else has a copy.
2. Have You Made a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)?
Although an LPA is separate from a will, it's an important part of someone's future planning.
A LPA allows trusted people to make decisions if someone loses mental capacity. There are separate LPAs for property and financial affairs, and health and welfare.
Ask whether an LPA exists, what type it is, and where the documents are stored.
3. Who Are All the Beneficiaries?
Many people assume they already know who will inherit the estate, but that isn't always the case.
Some wills include gifts to charities, friends, or extended family members.
A clear picture of who the beneficiaries are can help set expectations early and reduce the risk of misunderstandings later.
4. Where Are Your Important Documents?
The will is only one part of administering an estate. Executors often need access to a range of other documents before they can begin dealing with financial institutions, property, or legal matters.
Useful documents may include:
- Property deeds
- Insurance policies
- Pension information
- Mortgage paperwork
- Investment records
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Military or employment records
Knowing where these documents are kept can save time and reduce unnecessary searching.
5. Do You Have Digital Assets or Online Accounts?
Many of the assets and information that make up an estate now exist online. Digital accounts can be as important as physical documents when administering an estate.
Ask whether they have:
- Online banking
- Investment platforms
- Cryptocurrency
- Email accounts
- Cloud photo storage
- Subscription services
- Social media accounts
There's no need to ask for passwords. Instead, encourage your loved one to keep a secure record of their digital assets, where access details are stored, and how they'd like these accounts to be managed in the future.
6. Is There a Funeral Plan or Have You Recorded Your Wishes?
Funeral arrangements are often one of the first practical decisions families need to make.
Some people have a prepaid funeral plan, while others have recorded their preferences or discussed them with family members. These might include burial or cremation, music, readings, or other details of the service.
Ask whether a plan is in place or if these preferences have been recorded somewhere. The location of this information can provide reassurance and remove uncertainty for family members when the time comes.
7. Are There Any Debts or Ongoing Financial Commitments?
Before an estate can be distributed, any outstanding debts and financial commitments need to be identified.
Ask whether there are:
- Loans
- Mortgages
- Credit cards
- Finance agreements
- Guarantees
- Regular payments that shouldn’t be overlooked
Identifying these financial commitments early can help prevent delays and make it easier to administer the estate.
8. Are There Any Assets People Might Not Know About?
Not all assets are immediately obvious. Some may have been forgotten over time, while others are simply less visible than a current bank account or family home.
There may be:
- Premium bonds
- Older pension schemes
- Overseas assets
- Valuable collections
- Safe deposit boxes
- Life insurance policies
Being aware of these assets makes it easier to identify everything that forms part of the estate.
9. Who Are Your Professional Advisers?
Many estates involve more than just the executor. Professional advisers can often provide valuable information and guidance when an estate is being administered.
Ask whether they have:
- A solicitor
- Financial adviser
- Accountant
- Insurance adviser
A list of these advisers and their contact details can make it much easier to find the right information and deal with practical matters when the time comes.
10. Is There Anything Else You Think I Should Know?
This final question can reveal information that doesn't fit neatly into any of the previous categories.
It could include a family heirloom with sentimental value, someone they'd like kept informed throughout the process, or practical information that hasn't been documented elsewhere.
What to Do This Week
These conversations don't have to happen in a single afternoon. In fact, they're usually better spread over time.
The goal isn't to build a complete record of someone’s life overnight. It’s simply to make sure that, if you’re ever called upon to act, you know where to start.
If you've recently been appointed as an executor, set aside time to have an open conversation with the person who appointed you. Explain that you'd like to better understand how their affairs are organised, so you're prepared if the time ever comes.
A good place to start is by:
- Confirming where the original will is stored
- Asking whether an LPA is in place
- Identifying where key documents are kept
- Making a note of any professional advisers they work with
Many people also find it helpful to keep a secure record of this information so it can be updated over time as circumstances change.
Planning ahead won't change what happens in the future, but it can make carrying out someone's wishes much more straightforward and reduce unnecessary stress for everyone involved.
Putting This into Practice
The best preparation starts long before you're ever called upon to act. It begins with having the right conversations, understanding where important information is kept, and making sure it can be found when it's needed.
Keeping key documents, financial information, digital assets, and important contacts organised in one secure place makes life easier for everyone involved. It gives the person planning ahead greater confidence that their wishes can be followed, while helping executors and family members avoid unnecessary searching, delays, and uncertainty.
Lyfeguard provides a secure place to organise life's essential information, store important documents, and record who should be able to access them. By bringing everything together in one place, it becomes easier for executors to find the information they need and carry out their responsibilities with confidence.