Choosing an executor or acting as one?

Contact one of our skilled RBC Royal Trust professionals to find out more about the right executor services for you.

Settling an estate is a complex task of carrying out someone’s final wishes expressed in their Will. If you are considering naming someone as executor of your estate or if you are an executor yourself, we can help.

RBC Royal Trust can act as sole executor, co-executor with a family member, or as agent for executor to carry out a person’s wishes. The duties of an executor may include:

Last wishes

Arrange for a funeral, memorial, cremation or burial as required

Probate¹ the Will

Apply for probate, pay probate taxes, obtain copies of the grant of probate

Safeguard estate assets

Locate and protect all estate assets, including investments, real estate, life insurance, pension benefits and digital assets

Family dynamics

Help ensure challenging family issues are dealt with compassionately, fairly, professionally and objectively

Tax preparation/filing

Handle tax matters related to the estate and the deceased in a timely manner and ensure opportunities to minimize tax are explored

Identify debts/liabilities

Identify and settle all legitimate debts and liabilities of the deceased and estate

Distribute the estate

Pay legacies, other bequests and the residue of the estate; provide full accounting to beneficiaries and obtain receipts and releases

Establish trusts

Establish trusts for minor beneficiaries or others as per the terms of the Will, where applicable

Did you know?

There can be over 70 individual tasks involved, and estates can take years to settle, depending on the complexity. Learn more about the estate you’re settling and get guidance with executor tasks with our free tools.

1-855-833-6511

Ask us about our competitive fees and discounts available if you have assets at RBC, if RBC Royal Trust is your power of attorney for property, or if you are an RBC employee/employee’s spouse or RBC retiree

When planning your estate and creating your Will, you have many choices as executor, including a family member or friend, a trust company, lawyer or accountant. An RBC Royal Trust professional can help you assess what may be involved, offer a customized level of support and ensure your estate is settled with maximum benefit to your beneficiaries.

Sole executor

We can act as a sole executor in your Will to act independently to carry out your wishes.

Co-executor

We can act as a co-executor in your Will to act alongside another person to carry out your wishes.

Alternate executor

We can act as an alternate executor if your initial executor is unwilling or unable to fulfill their responsibilities.

Agent for executor

We can act as an agent for executor where we support you as the executor² by assuming as much or as little of the duties as you require, while you retain the final decision-making authority.

1) Probate is not required for notarial Wills in Quebec, and may not be required in other jurisdictions in limited circumstances
2) In Quebec, “liquidator”, in Ontario, “estate trustee with a Will.”

RBC Royal Trust and RBC Wealth Management are business segments of the Royal Bank of Canada. Please click the “Legal” link at the bottom of this page for further information on the entities that are member companies of RBC Wealth Management. The content in this publication is provided for general information only and is not intended to provide any advice or endorse/recommend the content contained in the publication.