Changing executor on a will. Would a codicil be sufficient?

silvercar

We last wrote our wills (husband and wife, mirror wills) when are offspring were children. The will named our solicitor (who wrote the will) and a sibling as executor. Now the offspring are responsible adults, we would like to make them both joint executors. 

We have no need to change anything else in the wills, though some clauses like who would look after the children and the funds to do so are now redundant. 

Could we just write a codicil to each will changing the executors? Or is it necessary to have the whole will re-written? 

Savvy_Sue

Personally, I'd update the will, properly via a solicitor.

Although you say nothing else needs to be changed, you then mention some redundancy, so removing that could be helpful.

Plus, does it cover what you'd want to happen if either child predeceased either or both of you? With or without issue ...

user1977

You could do it by a codicil, but codicils made more sense in the days before word processors, when re-typing a Will (or scribing it longhand) would be a laborious task. I would probably just do a fresh Will.

Keep_pedalling

how old is the will? 

silvercar

Keep_pedalling said:

how old is the will? 

Nearly 20 years old.  Kids were early teens, now early 30s, so proper adults.

Savvy_Sue said:

Personally, I'd update the will, properly via a solicitor.

Although you say nothing else needs to be changed, you then mention some redundancy, so removing that could be helpful.

Plus, does it cover what you'd want to happen if either child predeceased either or both of you? With or without issue ...

Clauses that talk of a named person looking after the children, just wouldn't now apply.

We covered child(ren) pre-deceasing us. With issue, their share goes to their offspring (if they have). Without issue it goes to the other child. If both pre-decease, without issue, it goes to our siblings in stated percentages. 

Keep_pedalling

A lot has changed in 20 years I would make new ones. Consider options like immediate post death interest trusts to protect your children’s inheritance in the case of the remarriage of a surviving partner.