A Letter to Your Executor

A Will tells your Executor what to do with your estate. A letter to your Executor tells them how to find everything, what you were thinking, and what you want them to know. These are two very different things, and most Wills do only the first. This article explains what a letter to your Executor is, why it matters, and what to include in it.

What Is a Letter to Your Executor?

A letter to your Executor — sometimes called a letter of instruction, a letter of wishes, or a memorandum of personal property — is an informal document that sits alongside your Will and provides practical guidance to the person responsible for administering your estate. It is not part of the Will, it is not filed with the probate court, and it is not legally binding. But it can be invaluable.

Unlike the Will, a letter to your Executor can be updated at any time without witnesses, without a Notary, and without any formality whatsoever. You simply write a new one and replace the old. This makes it the ideal place for information that changes regularly — account numbers, passwords, preferences, and explanations that would be awkward to formalize in a legal document.

Why It Matters More Than You Might Think

Consider what your Executor faces in the days after your death. They are grieving. They may have no legal or financial background. They are suddenly responsible for locating your assets, notifying institutions, paying your bills, and beginning a process they have likely never dealt with before. They may have no idea where your Will is stored, let alone your insurance policies, your safety deposit box key, or your investment account numbers.

A well-prepared letter to your Executor can reduce weeks of confusion and stress to a matter of days. It is one of the most practical gifts you can leave the person you have trusted with this responsibility.

What to Include

Location of key documents. Tell your Executor exactly where to find the original Will, your Powers of Attorney, insurance policies, property deeds, vehicle registrations, investment statements, tax returns, and any other important papers. If documents are stored in a safety deposit box, say where the box is and where the key is kept.

Financial accounts. Provide a complete list of bank accounts, investment accounts, pension plans, RRSPs, RRIFs, and TFSAs. Include the name of the institution, the account number or policy number, and — for insurance policies — the name of the beneficiary and the contact information for the insurer. Do not include passwords in this letter unless it is stored very securely; instead, tell your Executor how to access your password manager or where a separate list of passwords is kept.

Debts and liabilities. List your mortgage, any car loans, lines of credit, credit card balances, and anyone you owe money to. Your Executor is responsible for paying your debts before distributing the estate — the more complete your list, the smoother this process will be.

Digital assets. This is an area most Wills overlook entirely. What happens to your email accounts, social media profiles, online subscriptions, digital photo libraries, loyalty points, and — if applicable — cryptocurrency holdings? Identify the accounts, describe what you would like done with them, and indicate how your Executor can gain access. For cryptocurrency in particular, access without the private key or seed phrase is impossible — this information must be recorded and secured.

Personal property. If there are items of sentimental or practical value that you want to go to specific people — and that you have not addressed in the Will — a letter is an appropriate place to express those wishes. While this letter is not legally binding, most families will honour reasonable requests made in writing. Be specific: "the painting of the harbour in the front hallway" rather than "the painting."

Explanation of Will decisions. This is perhaps the most underappreciated purpose of a letter to your Executor. If you have made an unequal distribution among your children, excluded someone who might have expected to be included, or left a significant bequest to a non-family member, a private explanation can go a long way toward preventing conflict after your death.

Your Executor does not need to share the letter with beneficiaries — but having your reasoning recorded means there is less room for speculation, resentment, or accusations of undue influence. Courts have also found letters of wishes useful evidence in Will challenges, where they can help establish that the Testator had clear reasons for their decisions.

Funeral and burial preferences. A Will is often not read until after the funeral — which means any burial instructions in the Will may arrive too late. A letter to your Executor, stored somewhere accessible, is the right place for these preferences. Include your wishes about burial versus cremation, the type of service you want or do not want, any specific requests about where your remains should be interred, and the names of people who should be contacted.

Contact information. List the people who need to be notified of your death: family members, close friends, your employer, your accountant, your financial advisor, and any organizations you belong to. Include phone numbers and email addresses. This is particularly important for people who live far away or who may not otherwise hear promptly.

Government and benefits. Note any government benefits you receive — CPP, OAS, Veterans Affairs, provincial disability payments — so your Executor knows to notify the relevant agencies. Receiving payments after death that should have stopped is a common complication in estate administration.

Where to Keep It

Your letter to your Executor should be kept somewhere your Executor can find it promptly after your death — ideally with or near the original Will. If the Will is in a safety deposit box, be aware that the box may be sealed on death, which can delay access. Many people keep the original Will at home in a clearly labelled envelope and store certified copies elsewhere.

Tell your Executor — while you are alive — where the letter is. The letter is only useful if the person who needs it can find it.

Keeping It Current

A letter to your Executor written five years ago may do more harm than good. Account numbers change, institutions merge, assets are sold, and beneficiaries move. Review your letter whenever you review your Will — at minimum after any significant change in your life, and at least every two or three years regardless.

Because the letter requires no formalities to update, there is no reason to let it fall out of date. Write a new one, date it clearly, and destroy the old one so there is no confusion about which version is current.