Plain-English notes on the paperwork.

Three jobs, no more. Why a will has no effect on jointly held property, superannuation or anything at all while you are alive.

The job is administrative, not honorary. What executors actually do, how many you need, and when a professional is the kinder choice.

What the registry is checking, how long each stage takes, and the four costs that are not our fee.

An enduring power of attorney is the only document that works while you are alive but unable to decide. It cannot be signed later.

Joint tenancy, tenants in common, and the sentence in your will that decides whether anyone has to sell.

Second marriages, children from a first, and the mutual-will promises that courts routinely undo.