I was recently quoted in CNA Lifestyle, in Annie Tan’s guide to building a “death to-do list” (published 6 September 2026). The article covers 25 things worth sorting out while you are alive. This page sets out the part I deal with most often in practice, and the reasoning behind it.
What is a death to-do list?
A death to-do list is a written record of everything your family will need after you die: where your will is, what you own, what you owe, what you want done, and how to access the accounts that hold it all. It is not a legal document. It sits alongside your will and fills the gaps a will was never designed to cover.
Why does it matter?
Because your executor’s first job is not to distribute your estate. It is to discover it.
Where a person leaves no record of their assets, the work begins with writing to bank after bank, insurer after insurer, asking whether the deceased held anything with them. That takes months, costs money, and can still miss things. A safe deposit box nobody knows about. A policy with an adviser nobody can name. Cryptocurrency in a private wallet whose key died with its owner.
Assets that only you know exist are, after you have passed, assets that exist only to you.
What a will does, and what it does not do
A will directs who receives what. In Singapore it must comply with the Wills Act 1838, which broadly requires it to be in writing, signed by you, and witnessed by two people who are present at the same time and who do not benefit under it. You can read more on my Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney page.
What a will does not do is explain itself. And “why” is where estates come apart.
Someone was left out. Someone was favoured. Someone nursed a parent for six years while another appeared only at Chinese New Year. A letter of wishes sitting alongside your will is where you set out your reasoning, so that no one is left guessing at your intentions once you can no longer be asked. It is not binding, and that is precisely the point: it carries the explanation without constraining your executor.
Where should you keep your will in Singapore?
Tell your executor where it is. Beyond that, you have three sensible options: register its existence with the Wills Registry maintained by the Singapore Academy of Law, leave it with the firm that drafted it, or place it with a custody service. Note that the Wills Registry records that a will exists and where it is kept, not its contents.
The reason this matters: a will that cannot be produced is of limited use. Where no will is admitted to probate, the estate is dealt with under the intestacy rules, which for non-Muslims means the Intestate Succession Act 1967, and for Muslims means the distribution rules applied under the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966. Those rules may divide your estate very differently from how you intended. See also my page on probate and letters of administration.
Things people consistently overlook
Sentimental items
Watches, jewellery, a father’s fountain pen. If you do not name who receives them, a dispute can end with the executor selling the items and dividing the proceeds. Nobody involved ever wanted the money.
Guardianship
A parent can appoint a guardian for their children to take effect after death, and appoint trustees to hold assets for those children until an age you choose. If you do not, the question falls to be resolved without your input.
Pets
You cannot leave anything to an animal, because in law an animal is property, not a beneficiary. What works is asking someone in advance whether they are willing, leaving the pet to that person in your will, attaching a cash legacy to cover its care, and setting out how you would like it looked after.
Debts
Liabilities are settled out of the estate before the beneficiaries receive anything. A list of mortgages, loans and cards spares your executor the guesswork.
Digital accounts
Apple and Google both offer legacy settings you can configure today. Facebook allows a legacy contact for a memorialised profile, though that person cannot read your private messages. Email deserves particular thought, because it is the reset route into almost everything else.
Passwords
Keep them separate from the list itself, and make sure your executor knows how to reach them.
When is the right time to do this?
Now, while you are well. Every part of this is a small decision that is easy to make in good health and impossible to make later. You do not need to do all of it at once. Pick one item this week.
A note on where this comes from
After leaving the Ministry of Manpower, I spent time assisting in my family’s funeral business, Nguan Gratitude Services. That taught me something the law degree did not: families rarely fall out over money alone. They fall out over not knowing what you wanted. I have seen more than one set of last rites performed for the same person because the family could not agree on which was correct.
Almost none of it is a legal problem. It is a “nobody wrote it down” problem, and it is one of the few problems in my practice that is very largely preventable.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer to write a will in Singapore?
No. A will is valid if it meets the formalities in the Wills Act 1838. Lawyers are engaged not because the law requires it but because errors in drafting, execution or witnessing tend to surface only after death, when they can no longer be fixed.
Is a letter of wishes legally binding?
No. It guides and explains. Its value is evidential and practical, not enforceable.
What happens if I die without a will in Singapore?
Your estate is distributed under the Intestate Succession Act 1967 if you are not Muslim, or under the rules applied through the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966 if you are. Someone must apply for letters of administration before anything can be distributed.
Can I leave money to my pet?
No. Leave the pet to a person, with a cash legacy and your wishes for its care.
Thinking about your own will or LPA?
I am happy to have a short conversation before you commit to anything. Message or email me directly and I will come back to you personally.
Johnathan Lee, Advocate & Solicitor, Fong & Fong LLC. WhatsApp (+65) 8878 6467. Email johnathan.lee@fongllc.com.
Related: Wills & Lasting Power of Attorney · Probate & Letters of Administration · Deputyship Applications
Read the CNA Lifestyle article: Everyone needs a death to-do list – here are 25 things to sort out while you’re alive
This page is general information, not legal advice.