With Your Family in Mind

In these economic times, people in all walks of life have to face the consequences of accumulating debt. It is always easy to get into debt, but never easy to get out. When seeking professional advice on how to cope with existing debt, it is best to be prepared with the following information:

In these tough financial times, support is becoming even more important. Courts are facing tough challenges with parties losing their jobs. In my experience, the courts have been cutting parents who lose jobs some slack to give them time to find another job. And that only seems fair. The larger problems are the cases where the supporting parent stops working the overtime that you were accustomed to, or even worse, is simply working less hours per week.

The Hart School District is making use of the latest technology to keep in touch with parents and the community. We’ve recently added a Twitter account and an electronic message system that allows parents and community members to choose the kind of information they want to receive from the district through e-mail messages. 

There are three distinct components relating to the issue of payment of spousal support to a former spouse: amount of support, duration of support, and the court’s continuing power over the issue after judgment.  While child support is calculated using the statewide uniform guidelines, allowing a court to use programs such as the “DissoMaster” to calculate child support obligations, spousal support calculation is not formula driven. In fact, it is reversible error for a court to rely on a support calculator when making orders for permanent spousal support. 

Just recently, Stork Vision was invited to be a guest on a KHTS’s radio special “Having Your Baby,” hosted by KHTS owner Carl Goldman. What an amazing experience. As a guest along with Dr. Roscoe Marter, an obstetrician with Facey Medical Group, and Laura Gracia, a certified doula and parent educator, we discussed many of today’s pregnancy hot topics.

Many people in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s view estate planning as something for elderly people to do.  “There’s plenty of time,” they reason. They equate estate planning with dying — which they’re not likely to do for many years to come.  Statistically, they may be right.   But what about Michael Jackson, who died at 50? What about Billy Mays, who died at 50?  Farrah Fawcett, who died at 62? 

If we think about having some quality family fun, board games can be a solution to engage the whole family playing together at the same table. While in this tough economic recession, many families can’t really afford to go out.  Besides, the benefits of learning through these activities are enormous.  Children’s board games invite much in the way of social interaction.

At-Risk Children in Foster Care and Adoption Program

With nearly 85,000 children in California removed from their parents’ homes due to abuse or neglect and 9,000 foster children in California waiting for adoptive homes, there is a great need for caring adults to provide loving, nurturing homes as either foster or adoptive parents.  

If you or a loved one is feeling overwhelmed by a crisis, illness or the task of care giving, then a support group may be able to help you through your difficult time.  Support groups exist that help with very specific problems, such as weight loss, the loss of a spouse or the effects of care giving for a family member with dementia. Other groups may be more general, focusing on a broad range like depression or coping strategies.

Parentgiving.com is a new website created to help time-starved caregivers of aging parents.  Its “Learning with Parentgiving” section provides checklists at your fingertips for securing caregivers, preventing falls, steps to take if a parent is denied Medicare coverage, legal documents you may need and information needed in emergencies.

The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association (SCAA) board voted to support an art school in Karatu, Tanzania. Most of the students attending Tloma Art Centre are from the Orphanage Centre, some are from the streets, while others are from very poor families in the village.  The Centre provides art education free to 17 children, along with lunch for an afternoon of art fun, according to Shirley Checkos, who visited the Tloma Art Center in August 2008.   Since then she kept an ongoing e-mail correspondence, provided some financial assistance, and has been selling these African original paintings for the school in California.

The advent of old age brings diminishment of family and friends, loss of earning power and responsibilities and an increased sense of dependence upon others.  Pets can provide an inexpensive method of allaying the negative psychological manifestations of these factors.  The older person continues to feel important in caring for the pet.  An animal companion provides solace in bereavement, attenuates the pain of social isolation and depression and actively serves a role in preventing social withdrawal and alienation. 

Summertime is upon us, and it’s time to take that long awaited dream vacation.  However, summer vacations can be surprisingly expensive.  Vacations and weekend getaways are something to look forward to and with careful planning they can fit into your spending plan.

I work with a lot of kids and families.  Parents are worried when they see their kids “partying” and afraid this behavior will lead to worse things.  While its true that many kids will grow out of it with only a few losses, others may experiment until they try something they truly like and then get hooked.  

Individuals considering Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection often wonder exactly which debts will be eliminated (discharged), and which debts may still have to be prepaid.

In April 2009, Los Angeles County had 20,252 children in placement because their parents abused or neglected them.  Until recent years, it was believed that foster homes could adequately meet the needs of children who were unable to safely return to their birth families. 

A “premarital” or “antenuptial” agreement is a contract executed between prospective spouses in contemplation of marriage.  The purpose of the agreement is to fix marital property rights and financial responsibilities upon consummation of the marriage.  While some people would argue that such an agreement is a bad thing for a marriage, these agreements are typically intended to foster or perpetuate conditions, which will help preserve a forthcoming marriage. 

I have discovered that one of the main differences between happiness and the lack thereof is perception.  The same can be said about the difference between one who experiences a feeling of success and one who experiences a feeling of failure.  Personally, I do not believe in failure.