With all the talk about Medicaid planning, irrevocable trusts, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, etc., AARP has discovered what many attorneys like myself have discovered. Perhaps one of the most important estate planning tools is letting your heirs know in advance what your testamentary plans are to avoid future estate litigation.
See http://www.aarp.org/money/investing/info-2016/estate-inheritance-trouble.html?intcmp=BUBB3