Hmm, "arrangements for the birds" made me stop and think, what about our two dogs if we had a fatal car accident today?
Two adult daughters inherit equally and our sisters are executors; but could any of our immediate family take even one of the dogs? Extended family perhaps. Otherwise they'd have to be found homes and I'd like to think attractive kennel club border collies would be snapped up for breeding if nothing else.
Hmm.
I guess trusts & investments are best left to solicitors. Certainly one of my childless Aunts who left the usual house & cash, also had a million in shares; so she appointed her solicitors as joint executors who were instructed to deal with those shares, the tax, and all prepaid funeral arrangements.
This ensured the nephew's executor part of the job was a doddle.