Get Your Legal Affairs Organised

Legal documents are an essential part of end-of-life planning, but knowing which documents you need, what decisions to make and where to begin can feel overwhelming. Each Handbook of Your Life kit includes a Legal Documents Preparation Guide designed to help you understand the key considerations before seeking professional advice.

From preparing a Will and choosing someone to make decisions on your behalf to recording future healthcare wishes and reviewing superannuation beneficiaries, the guide walks you through important questions you may not have considered.

Rather than replacing professional legal, financial or medical advice, the guide helps you organise your thoughts, identify important information and prepare meaningful questions before meeting with a solicitor, doctor, superannuation provider or other relevant professional. It also encourages you to keep completed documents organised and accessible through your Handbook.

Legal Documents Preparation Guide

What the Legal Documents Preparation Guide Covers

Six Key Areas of End-of-Life Planning

Understanding your options is the first step towards getting your legal affairs organised. The guide covers six important areas, helping you identify decisions to consider, questions to ask and information to gather before preparing formal documents.

Will

Consider who should administer your estate, who you want to benefit and how your assets should be distributed. Explore guardianship wishes, personal gifts, complex assets and other matters to discuss with your solicitor.

Enduring Power of Attorney

Explore who you trust to make financial, personal or health decisions on your behalf, where permitted by law. Consider their responsibilities, when their authority may apply and how multiple decision-makers would work together.

Advance Health / Care Directive

Think about your future healthcare wishes, treatment preferences and personal values. The guide helps you identify important medical decisions to discuss with your doctor and how your wishes should be documented and communicated.

Superannuation Death Benefit Nomination

Review your existing superannuation arrangements and consider who you want to receive your benefits after death. Explore beneficiary eligibility, nomination types, fund requirements and how these decisions interact with your estate plan.

Organ and Tissue Donation

Consider whether you wish to become an organ or tissue donor and how to record your decision. Learn what questions to ask and why discussing your wishes with family or your Nominated Person matters.

Body Donation to Science

Explore the possibility of donating your body for medical education or research. Consider program eligibility, registration requirements, arrangements after death and alternative plans if your donation cannot proceed.

Preparing legal documents is only part of the process. They also need to remain current, consistent and accessible when required. The guide concludes with a practical final review to help you identify conflicting instructions, consider when documents should be updated and record where completed documents are kept. Together with your Handbook of Your Life, it’s another important step towards organised, practical end-of-life planning.

Disclaimer: Legal document names, forms and requirements vary between Australian states and territories. The guide is for preparation purposes and does not replace professional legal, financial or medical advice.