For many people, one of the biggest goals of estate planning is to minimize any taxes that have to be paid by the state upon your death. For the vast majority of people, estate taxes won’t even apply because under current law, estate taxes do not start until the value of your estate exceeds $11.58 million. For those with large estates, however, there are several things that you can do now to help ensure as little of Read More

There’s a common misconception that estate planning is mainly for the elderly, but the fact of the matter is that if you care about what happens to your property and your loved ones if you pass away, then you should create an estate plan regardless of your age. Youth, unfortunately, does not make us invincible, so it is responsible to have a plan in place for the worst case scenario. In today’s blog post, we’re Read More

As time passes, people and families are constantly evolving. Are your relationships all exactly the same as they were a few years ago? Probably not. Are your goals for the future stagnant and unchanging? We doubt it. While many people mistakenly believe that estate planning can be a one-and-done type of thing, the truth is that your estate plan needs to evolve along with you. It should be updated periodically to Read More

When you create an estate plan, you choose an executor, also known as a personal representative, to name in your will. This person will be held responsible for several duties after you pass away. He or she will be in charge of taking the plan you made in your will and enacting it in the real world. They will make sure your estate’s debts and taxes get paid, will pass your assets on to your beneficiaries on your Read More

It is every person’s right to refuse or accept medical care. It is the responsibility of healthcare providers and medical professionals to recommend a course of treatment, and they should only follow through with permission from the person who is ill or injured. Choosing to refuse or accept healthcare treatment is a fundamental, universal right that should always be honored. In fact, it is included in the American Read More

Trust disputes occur fairly often. Typically the dispute arises between the beneficiaries of a trust and the trustee - that is, the person appointed to manage it. The players in trust disputes are often family members, and their complicated relationships can come into play in trust litigation, making these complex and emotionally-charged matters. Since money, property, and other valuable assets are at stake, these Read More

Most people know what a will is and why it’s important to have one, but many are less aware of the myriad of other estate planning tools at their disposal. At Solan, Park & Robello, we are passionate about helping our clients create estate plans that are perfectly crafted to their unique situations. To that, we use many tools that go beyond the simple Last Will & Testament, and today we want to tell you about Read More

A conservatorship is a legal concept in which the financial affairs of an incapacitated person, or even the regular affairs of their daily life, are overseen by someone else. That other person is called a “conservator” and has to be appointed by a judge. Within a conservatorship, the incapacitated person is referred to as a “conservatee” or a “ward.” How do I become a conservator? If you are concerned about the Read More

When you find out a loved one who passed away named you the executor of their estate, it is a great honor. It means that the respected and trusted you enough to charge you with handling their final affairs. This honor comes with great responsibility. But what exactly is that responsibility? If you find yourself asking, “Okay, so what now?” you’re certainly not alone. Read on for a breakdown of what the role of Read More

At Solan, Park & Robello, we ardently believe in the importance of estate planning. We have seen first hand how negatively it impacts families when someone passes away without an estate plan, whether it’s because they didn’t work with a lawyer to make sure their wishes were stated in a legal valid way, or because they just didn’t plan for their eventual death at all. If you die without an estate plan, it can Read More