With Your Family in Mind

Few people truly understand what could happen to their retirement plans after they pass away. In theory, leaving retirement plans to your heirs seems easy. In real life though, what happens to retirement accounts after the death of a plan owner is oftentimes surprising. There are numerous...

As a family law attorney, I frequently hear this from people the first time they walk into my office. The first thing I tell them is that people who spend a lot of time worrying about whether or not something is “fair” tend to have difficulties while going through a divorce. Divorce is a...

 Now is the time to think about and plan for holiday schedules involving children with divorced or divorcing parents. If a parent thinks that there will be some conflict about where the children will spend the holiday, the parent should address this issue now and not wait till later. Many...

The arrival of autumn marks an important time of year for those who have been affected in some way by Alzheimer’s Disease: this is the season where caregivers, family members, senior living communities, spouses and those with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis all come together to help raise important...

 Everyone has the right to appeal. Keep in mind that about 98% of all cases settle at some point. A small percentage of cases do go to trial, and a percentage of those cases will be appealed. Family law cases are different than civil appeals because in family law trials, there is no jury. You...

]When a loved one enters a long-term care facility, it is often a very difficult time. Maybe there was a catastrophic medical event, such as a stroke. Or perhaps the care needs of an Alzheimer’s victim can no longer be managed in the home. Whatever the circumstances, there is much to do, and a...

 Physical changes may include loss of bone density, lowered heart rates, as well as thickening of the arteries and/or heart. Skin becomes dry, thinner and incurs wrinkles as it loses elasticity. Tooth enamel becomes weaker with age and may lead to decay. Gum disease is more common in older...

 The answer is relatively simple: Spouses! However, it is more complex than that, especially if the question is: can YOU receive spousal support?  Spousal support depends on many factors including, the length of the marriage, and how much each spouse earns. Length of the Marriage According to...

A business that doesn’t budget sets itself up for a host of financial problems down the road. This is true for businesses of all ages and sizes. Conversely, a business that develops short- and long-term business objectives by creating a detailed business plan can create a road map for financial...

 Jeff and Melanie Meyer of Thrivent Financial are hosting a free educational workshop to help parents of high school students with their college planning. Called “College Planning Strategies,” the 90-minute workshop will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17 at American Family Funding,...

It’s never easy being a parent. We constantly struggle, wondering if we’re doing the best we can for our kids. It’s so much pressure knowing that you only get a short window of time to prepare them to become responsible, healthy, and emotionally balanced adults. For some divorced parents, there...

 Pets fill a special place in our lives and hearts. They have made great comrades through adolescence, marriages, and raising children. They have provided comfort when our nests have emptied and support through loss and illness. There is nothing quite like the sound of a cat’s purr or the...

Before 2010, estate planning was almost always focused on reducing taxes and probate avoidance. This type of planning is important, but since over 99 percent of society is no longer facing death taxes, the old way of setting up trusts have become completely unnecessary for most. On the other...

 My kids and I were sitting around a week or so ago and one of them proposed that we play a game.  The game is each person asks a question to everyone else in the room and the person asking the question has to answer it also.  It was just the three of us.  My oldest asked what is a quality that...

Domestic Violence can have a substantial impact on one’s family law case. For example, there is a rebuttable presumption that a spouse convicted of an act of domestic violence within five years prior to the filing of the dissolution proceeding, or at any time thereafter cannot be awarded...

Domestic Violence is commonly recognized as physical or sexual violence perpetrated against a spouse, or other personal relationship defined by Family Code Section § 6211. However, domestic violence can take many forms, some of which are difficult to identify. When looking for signs of abuse,...

 Heart disease is a serious concern to the health of seniors, in fact, statistics have shown that up to 84 percent of people over the age of 65 die from heart disease. While the risk of developing heart disease increases with age, it does not have to be an inevitable part of the aging process....

I have been following the groundbreaking research regarding Alzheimer’s prevention as it unfolds. There are several neurologists/researchers who will go down in history as heroes. These heroes are spreading the word about Alzheimer’s prevention, despite the lack of support from government...