The aim of your will is to express your wishes about what should happen to your body, your estate and your dependants after you die. This means that a will can cover a wide range of issues. The most common things to include in a will are:
the revocation of any earlier will
the appointment of one or more executors, who will be responsible for administering your estate after you die (see “Who’s who: Executors and other key people” in this chapter)
directions for funeral arrangements (for example, cremation or burial and whether or not there is to be a particular ceremony or church service). These wishes are not strictly binding on the executor, but it would be unusual for an executor not to follow them (see “Burial and cremation” in the chapter “A death in the family”)
directions for any donations of body parts to research or for medical use. It is also a good idea for these instructions to be recorded elsewhere, as a will may not be read in time for an organ or tissue donation to take place
who is to inherit property and other possessions
the appointment of a testamentary guardian or guardians and directions about the care of any children. A testamentary guardian acts jointly with any other guardian. However, a testamentary guardian does not have the automatic right to provide day-to-day care for a child. They must apply to the court if they want to be involved in the child’s day-to-day care (see the chapter “Parents, guardians and caregivers”).
Note: Although you can also use your will to give consent to being an organ donor, it will usually be too late for your organs to be used by the time your will is finally read. It’s therefore better to record your consent in a separate, witnessed document, and tell your family or friends about it. For more details, see “Donating organs: Who decides” in the chapter, “A death in the family”.