Wall Street Journal:  Many of the emails we receive from readers touch upon estate planning, a source of confusion and concern. With that in mind, we recently spoke with Rachel Emma Silverman, an editor and reporter at The Wall Street Journal and author of a new book, “The Wall Street Journal Complete Estate-Planning Guidebook.” Designing such plans, she notes, invariably involves “time, expense and hassle. But failing to do so can be a recipe for disaster.” Here are excerpts from the conversation:

WSJ: Why is it that those two words—”estate planning”—cause so much anxiety?