Why your will is probably out of date (and how to know)

If your will was drafted more than five years ago and you haven't looked at it since, there's a reasonable chance it no longer reflects what you actually want. Life moves, circumstances change, and estate documents that felt airtight at signing can quietly become a source of complication for the people left behind.

Here are five signs your will may need a refresh.

1. Your family situation has changed.

Marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, or the death of a beneficiary. In British Columbia, marriage no longer automatically revokes an earlier will (WESA changed this in 2014), but the practical effect is that a will drafted before a major family change often distributes assets in ways you no longer intend.

2. Your assets look different.

You've sold a business, bought a second property, received an inheritance, or moved significant money between accounts. Wills often reference specific assets that may no longer exist, or fail to address ones that now do. Both create problems at probate.

3. Your executor is no longer the right person.

The friend you named at 45 may not be the right choice at 65. Executors can pass away, move abroad, fall out of touch, or become unable to serve. If you can't remember who you named or you'd choose differently today, that's a signal.

4. Tax rules have moved.

The rules around principal residence, joint ownership, spousal rollovers, and trust taxation have all changed over the past decade. A will that made tax sense in 2015 may leave your estate paying more than it needs to today.

5. You've moved provinces.

If you signed your will in Ontario or Alberta and now live in BC, the will remains legally valid but doesn't take advantage of BC-specific planning options and may create unnecessary friction under BC's probate rules.