How does someone know if you have a will and where to find it when you’re dead? That’s a question I recently asked a local lawyer who said it was a good question.
The law firm told me they get calls all the time asking if a specific deceased person made a will there.
Wills are private documents before death, and before probate, and generally become public records once they have been probated.
I am pretty sure the local law firm told me there is no will registry in Alberta, but there is a Canada Will Registry to search for a will, but I don’t know how that works.
A lot of things can happen from the time you sign a will to when an executor is looking for it, according to a registry website.
Lawyers retire, law firms close, and people move. When a family can’t find a will, the law presumes the will was revoked.
This has major implications as your estate will be distributed according to a government formula rather than your wishes.
If you’re storing your will in a safe or safety deposit box, ensure your executor or family members know how to access it in the event of your passing.
My sister and I were fortunate to have joint power of attorney over my mother’s affairs when she died in a nursing home, and we both had copies of the will beforehand.
I plan to bury mine under a rock in the mountains and release clues in the Source with the promise of a million-dollar tax-free prize for the winner, payable at any Revenue Canada outlet. I sent a copy to Prime Minister Trudeau to make it legal.
My last wish is to disprove the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes and stick it to the feds to complete my bucket list posthumously. Amen!
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