You can provide little instruction or very detailed instructions in your will. Usually, a will provides instructions for the care of any children you may have and also names a personal representative (executor) to manage and distribute your estate after you die. The personal representative, which can be a legal entity, gathers your property, pays any debts and taxes, and distributes the balance of your estate to the people or organizations you have named in your will. The will also allows you to detail what happens if beneficiaries predecease you.