With Your Family in Mind

Although it’s important to have an updated estate plan, there is a lot of information your heirs need to know that doesn’t necessarily fit into a will, trust, or other document. For instance: Where can your heirs find your insurance policies? How can they locate your bank accounts, and access your safe deposit box? How can they be sure they have accounted for all your assets?  The solution is a “letter of instruction’ which can provide your heirs with guidance if you die or become incapacitated.  A letter of instruction is not legally binding, but it can give your heirs crucial information to help them tie up your affairs. Without such a letter, it can be easy to miss important items, or become over­whelmed trying to sort through all the documents you’ve left behind.  The letter can be informal, and it doesn’t have to follow any specific format. It is far better to write something instead of nothing, so don’t worry that it has to be perfect.

Estate planning involves making sure you are protected in the event of incapacity.  However, it also involves the passing of wealth from one generation to the next.  If not done correctly, there is a chance that wealth can be lost.  When I meet with clients, we talk about how the transfer of wealth and assets will occur.

When looking for a horseback riding instructor, it’s always important to find someone that has adequate experience and a patient personality for teaching.  At the recently opened Shooting Stars Ranch in Castaic, California, actions clearly speak louder than words as business owner Tanzeem Scott demonstrates by her noticeable expertise to go with her heavily decorated career as an equestrian. 

The primary purpose of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing is for the debtor to get a fresh start by discharging debts that they cannot afford to repay.  When a Chapter 7 case is filed, the debtor lists all of their debts in the bankruptcy schedules that get filed with the court.  The court clerk uses the addresses provided to mail notices to the creditors, which stops them from bothering the debtor during the case.  The case takes about four months to complete.

Every year, thousands of children throughout the United States enter the foster care system because their parents were not able to provide them with the protection and nurturing that they needed.  When it is determined by the court that a child will not be able to safely return to their birth families, loving adoptive families are needed to provide stable and permanent adoptive homes for these children. 

What has happened to our ability to relate to others?  Our young people grow up in a world of cryptic conversation with texting, tweeting and posts on Facebook being the preferred method of communicating with their friends and family.  They are losing the ability to relate to one another...

Many readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita continue to send in great questions about the voiceover industry.  This month’s question is about getting a deposit before she works on a project.   
Q: Is it customary to ask for a deposit before you do a voiceover job, even if the company that hired you has a website and it’s known?  I asked for one because I have been burned in the past.  But those were people who just found me randomly on the Internet, had a Gmail account and no website.  Your thoughts? – Wendy B., Saugus, California

When doing something important it is not what you do, but how you do it.  It also needs to be something that is within your purpose.  If you need to ask people for their help, be sure you are asking people who are a fit for your needs.
Let’s look at something.   Many years ago there was a man who had a recipe and was looking for a franchise that was interested.  He asked several hundred companies if they were interested and they said, “No.” 

I have two daughters. One is in middle school.  The other is in elementary school. When my older daughter started middle school, I attended an orientation session of sorts for new parents. We were warned about the potential hazards of middle school. One such hazard arises when the child takes an inappropriate picture of himself or herself and sends it to anyone. The obvious danger being once the genie is out of the bottle, it cannot be put back in. The message was well received.

Recently, I was on an airplane and had the pleasure of listening to the safety briefing for the hundredth time.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m fully in favor of knowing how to exit the airplane in an emergency.  I like knowing there is an emergency exit in case something goes deathly wrong and I need a way out fast.  Don’t you agree?

He’s not.  That’s why I don’t write articles about plumbing problems, it’s not my area.
Everyone from a local church to social workers wants to get in the game of drug recovery.  Either for money or a misguided notion they can solve things they are not experienced in.  Why a church can’t stick with religion and non-addict social workers can’t stick to conventional therapy is frustrating.

The Family Court may order a court-appointed investigator or evaluator to conduct a child custody evaluation.  The cases submitted to this process tend to be the “high conflict” cases where parents have a great deal of difficulty in either agreeing to or implementing a co-parenting plan following separation. 

You may be just the person who can grow a family by helping children who need a safe, secure, and caring home, thrive.  Children placed with their siblings maintain important bonds and significantly do better while in care.  We find many kind and loving people who can help one child.  What about those children who have brothers and sisters? 

Falls at home are a huge risk for seniors and are the leading cause of accidents for people over age 65.  A fall can easily result in a serious injury that is a threat to a senior’s health and independence.  There are numerous reasons that falls might occur: poor eye sight, illness, weakness in muscles, dementia, side affects of medications, etc. And although some of these precipitators may be corrected to help reduce the risk of falling, the area to truly focus on is the prevention of falls.

You are a very unique person.  Everyone is.  There’s no single formula that can serve as a remedy for the masses.  When it comes to overcoming mental and emotional issues a customized plan of treatment must be applied if a counselor is to help someone move beyond them.

Assisting a senior in downsizing their home can be a demanding process both physically and emotionally. With seniors, it involves a lot of preparation, packing and letting go of emotional ties to their home.
There are many reasons why seniors need to downsize.  An example may be that the senior wants to move to a smaller home because their house has become too large to handle or they are in need of moving to a retirement community.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there are about 90 million mothers in the United States.
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word mother as a female parent who is a woman of authority, a woman who offers maternal tenderness or affection. The word parent is defined as, one who that brings forth offspring and cares for another.

Auto insurance is intended to help you to protect you and your family against financial loss in the event of an accident or other cause of loss.  It covers the injuries and damages caused by an accident and for which you are legally responsible.  It may also cover the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle if it is damaged or stolen.