It’s a Big Ask, and a Big Task.

Not everyone has the time, the skills or the emotional mindset to carry out the scope of an executor’s duties.

That’s where The Executors come in.

We provide estate executor services in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. We have an experienced team of accountants and financial experts who can handle the entire executor process for you.

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Why work with The Executors?

To eliminate your personal liability for inaccurate reporting or missed deadlines

To protect you from the stress and time-consumption of the task

To reduce instances of family disputes

To support you during what can be an emotionally challenging time

What do you have to lose?

What you lose

A huge amount of stress
Fear of messing up
Legal liability
Multiple legal and financial contacts
Family disputes

What you Gain

570+ hours of your life back
An experienced professional on the job
Confidence it will be done right
A single point of contact
Letting us take any heat
Independence in handling the estate

Is a family business involved?

Not only does a family business double the amount of time it takes to execute an estate (it adds considerable complexity and nuance to the process), but it often throws the relationships into chaos to boot. If there is a family business involved, you want to bring in an outsider like The Executors to do the estate execution. That way the kids will still be talking to each other—and to you—when it’s done.

Are there beneficiaries from more than one spouse?

In our experience, this complex scenario – where someone passes away who had more than one spouse in their lifetime and then has estate beneficiaries from both (or more) spouses – often becomes incredibly messy and bitter. Relationships that were amicable beforehand are often irreparably damaged from the stress of handling such an estate, so bringing in a neutral and experienced third party like The Executors can make things a lot easier and a lot less messy.

People usually ask

What does an executor’s role entail?

The executor of a personal estate has a number of important responsibilities, which can be summarized as:

The executor must access and review the Will and notify the next of kin and beneficiaries.
The Will must be “probated”, which means that in order to administer the estate, the executor must be able to prove that he or she has the legal authority to do so.
The executor is responsible for making funeral arrangements and paying funeral expenses out of the estate.
The executor must make an inventory of the property in the estate and its value.
The executor must protect the property of the estate, ensuring that all valuables are kept safe and that the property is fully insured.
Until the estate is distributed, the executor must keep the money and investments in the estate properly invested. They must choose low-risk investments, as beneficiaries could sue for making bad investments and reducing the value of the estate before it is given to them.
Once the estate has paid all the debts and taxes, the executor is able to distribute the property to the beneficiaries.
Finally, the executor must provide detailed accounts to the beneficiaries including a list of everything that was received and paid out by the estate.

How long does it take to execute a personal estate?

In Canada, personal estates generally take between 3 and 18 months, depending on the size of the estate and its complexity. The executor will spend on average 570 hours completing the job.

Is it easy to transfer the responsibility to a professional executor?

Generally, yes. Once you have been appointed an executor, you have the legal right to pass the responsibility to another. It’s not uncommon for a personal executor to hire a lawyer, accountant and/or notary to handle legal and financial aspects of the estate. When you work with The Executors, all those responsibilities are included in our service.

How is the executor’s fee calculated?

In British Columbia, executors of an estate are entitled to a maximum compensation of 5% of the gross aggregate value of the estate under the Trustee Act. However, these provisions of the Trustee Act are not applicable where the executor’s or trustee’s compensation has been fixed by the Will or Trust. The executor’s fees are not paid until the responsibilities to the estate have been concluded.

Still have questions?

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