Elissa was quoted extensively in the WSJ Guide to Financial Planning:
What should be included in the estate plan?
The most important part of any estate plan is who and what matters to you. To whom do you want to leave a legacy or your prize possessions? How do you want to balance reducing expenses (e.g. probate, legal fees, taxes) with simplification? A financial adviser can be instrumental with these and other important issues.
The documents that an estate plan should include, at minimum, include a will, which specifies how your financial affairs will be settled and to whom your assets will be left; a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA), which specifies who will handle your financial affairs if you becomes brain-dead or otherwise incapable of making that decision; and a Medical Power of Attorney (MPOA), which provides specific instructions, prepared in advance, that are intended to direct medical care if you becomes unable to do so.