The Job Nobody Wants: Poll Shows Canadians are Willing but Unprepared Estate Executors

EmitenTrust.com Major new national study exposes the gap between willingness to serve as executors and readiness for the work involved

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 5, 2026 /CNW/ -- A comprehensive national survey commissioned by ClearEstate Technologies finds most Canadians are willing to take responsibility for settling a loved one's estate, despite widespread recognition that the paperwork may be more than they are prepared to handle.

That tension is at the heart of the new benchmark study by Canada Pulse Insights which polled 3,048 Canadian adults on behalf of ClearEstate. It found broad willingness for executorship to remain family-led but also strong demand for at least some professional support.

Nearly nine in ten (89%) agree that being an executor can become a complicated and time-consuming job that most people are not prepared for, yet three in four (76%) would accept the role for a family member or close friend even without fully understanding the duties involved. More than eight in ten (83%) say they would want professional support if the responsibility fell to them.

"It's safe to say this is the largest Canadian survey on this issue in recent memory," said study lead Will Daley, Senior Vice President, Research and Analytics at Canada Pulse Insights. "At more than 3,000 respondents, the sample is two or three times the size of an ordinary poll and lets us drill down into very specific groups of Canadians."

Anything for Family

Among those with a completed Estate Plan who have not used a professional executor, the vast majority (82%) have named a family member or friend to the role.

At the same time, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) agree it is unfair to expect a family member to handle all of the bureaucratic work of settling an estate on their own.

Preparation for that handoff is often limited. Among Canadians who have not used a professional executor, nearly half (44%) are unsure how their executor would access their latest information on assets and liabilities, including accounts, deeds and passwords, after their death.

"There's a generous reading of this, which is that people want the person they trust most handling something so deeply personal," said Davide Pisanu, co-founder and CEO of ClearEstate. "But there's also a less generous reading. We know the work can be painful and complicated, and we still ask someone we love to take it on without always doing enough to make their job easier."

Pisanu said the contradiction reflects an enduring educational gap in estate planning: families recognize that settlement is difficult but often continue to assume that a trusted relative will be able to handle the work.

Trust Drives Executor Decisions

The findings reinforce the notion that trust is the driving force behind executorship decisions, posing a challenge for professional service providers.

Among respondents who have appointed a family member or friend, 58% say they chose the most trustworthy person they know. For advisors and various professionals involved in a family's finances, estate administration--including most notably the complexities of estate settlement--offers opportunities to educate clients on a holistic approach to wealth management.

Daley suggests most Canadians "reach for the people they trust the most" when seeking help managing their estate and that many are wary of "handing it off to a stranger".

Experience suggests even relatively ordinary estates can require significant work. One in five Canadians surveyed has acted as an executor, with a median reported workload of 35 hours; 39% spent 50 hours or more on executor duties and another 17% lost track of the time altogether. ClearEstate's own client data shows that even uncontested estate settlements typically unfold over 12 to 18 months, stretching those hours of work across an extended period.

"People generally understand what it means to be someone's best man or maid of honour, and what those duties entail," Daley said. "With executorship, there aren't those same baseline expectations. People feel honoured or obligated to say yes but may have no clear idea what the job will actually involve."

What High-Net-Worth Families Already Know

Families with substantial assets have long used trusts, family offices and other professional structures to separate the emotional side of inheritance from the technical work of managing and transferring wealth. Relatives remain central to the process while specialists handle much of the paperwork.

Pisanu said the survey suggests that model has relevance well beyond the wealthiest households. Many Canadians still want someone they trust in charge but the findings point to a broader appetite for professional support behind the scenes.

"High-net-worth families have long put mechanisms in place to separate the emotional side of inheritance from the financial work of transferring assets," said Pisanu. "What stands out in this research is that a much broader group of Canadians is open to professional help. The challenge is making those options understandable, accessible and, above all, trustworthy."

The preferred model, however, is not necessarily to remove family from the process. Asked whom they would appoint as executor today, about half (48%) chose a family member or close friend who could hire professionals as needed, compared with 30% who would expect that person to handle everything themselves. Only 22% would choose a professional-led option, including 13% who would use a professional executor service and 9% who would appoint a financial institution or trust company.

Canadians are nevertheless open to professional alternatives: 70% say they would feel more comfortable naming a professional executor service, or using one to support their executor, if fees were clearly explained and significantly lower than traditional options.

The findings point to a middle ground in estate settlement: keeping a trusted family member involved while giving them access to professional help with the legal, financial and administrative workload. With awareness of professional executorship still limited, the study suggests education remains one of the largest barriers to adoption.

About ClearEstate

ClearEstate is Canada's only comprehensive estate planning and settlement fintech solution. Its intuitive web-based platform provides transparent, efficient support for estate administration and executor services. Founded in 2020 and backed by investors including Diagram Ventures, OMERS Ventures, NAVentures, Investissement Québec, Canada Life and IG Wealth, ClearEstate has supported thousands of families across North America during some of life's most challenging moments.

SOURCE ClearEstate Technologies Inc.