Everything a lawyer will ask you, organised in one place — and a clear view of what your country reserves for family versus what’s yours to direct.
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READ THIS FIRST
This is a preparation tool, not a will. It gathers and organises everything your lawyer needs, and shows you the framework for your chosen country — but it does not create a legally valid will, and nothing it produces can replace one. Wills must be signed and witnessed in specific ways that differ by country; getting that wrong is worse than having nothing. The reserved-share figures here are a simplified general guide to orient you, not legal advice. The goal is simple: walk into your lawyer’s office with everything ready, so their expensive time is spent on judgement, not data entry.
1Where your estate would be settled
This is usually where you habitually live, but it can be more complex. It sets which reserved-share rules apply below.
Cross-border estates follow special rules (in the EU, the Succession Regulation lets you sometimes choose your national law). If you tick this, we’ll flag that you need a specialist — it’s beyond what any organiser should try to resolve.
2Your situation
Children are the heirs most legal systems protect. Minor children are why a guardian is the most important decision on this page.
In some countries parents have a claim if you have no children.
Dependants can have a claim (especially in England & Wales), and a lawyer will want to know.
3What’s in the estate
Property, savings, investments, pensions, business, vehicles, valuables — minus mortgages and loans. We’ll pull your net-worth figure if you’ve used the dashboard.
THINGS A WILL OFTEN DOESN’T CONTROL — TICK WHAT YOU HAVE
These often pass outside the will by their own beneficiary nomination or by law — a frequent and expensive surprise. Ticking them puts them on your lawyer’s checklist. Record the detail in the pensions & policies vault.
4The people
The person who carries out the will. Pick someone organised and willing; name a backup too.
Who would raise your children. This is hard to think about — and it’s the single most important reason young parents need a will. Talk to the person first.
WHO INHERITS — YOUR INTENTIONS
NAMERELATIONSHIPSHARE %
Your wishes — the reserved-share rules on the right show how much of this you can actually direct. Shares are a guide for your lawyer, not a binding split.
5Wishes & the other documents
SEPARATE FROM YOUR WILL — BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT
A will covers your estate after death. These two cover the period when you’re alive but can’t decide — they are usually separate legal documents and a lawyer prepares them alongside the will.
An out-of-date will (after a marriage, divorce, birth, or a big change in assets) is a common cause of disputes.
6Where everything actually is
The most common gap of all. A perfect will nobody can find is worth nothing.
Names alone let an executor trace the accounts. Never record account numbers or passwords here — this saves unencrypted in your browser.
A guarantee you gave for someone else can follow your estate — and blindside the family.
RESERVED YOURS TO DIRECT READINESS
What’s reserved vs what you control
What the tax office takes
How ready you areWHAT A LAWYER WILL LOOK FOR
TO BRING TO YOUR LAWYER
CROSS-BORDER ESTATE — GET A SPECIALIST
You’ve indicated ties to more than one country. Which nation’s law governs, and where tax is owed, can turn on your habitual residence, your citizenship, and where each asset sits — and the answers interact. This is genuinely specialist territory; the framework shown here for a single country may not apply. Take this briefing to a cross-border estate lawyer.
WHAT THIS MEANS
✓ SAVED
The briefing opens in a new tab — use your browser’s Print → Save as PDF. It’s a preparation document, clearly marked as not a will.